List of Crap #107: Countdown to the Top 50ish Console Games of the 16-Bit Era!

[Pastor of Muppets]

#1

Shaq-Fu

System: Genesis, Super Nintendo

270 Points

11 of 11 Lists.  Highest Rank: TIE #1 Russoguru, Retro Muppet Pastor, Johnny Unusual, Linszoid, Stethcantus, Edward J Grug III, Quirk, Pak-Man, PsychoGoatee, Cole Stratton, and CJones

Year of Release:1994

Details

Shaq Fu is a 2D fighting game initially released for the Genesis and Super NES on October 28, 1994. It was ported to the Game Gear, Game Boy, and Amiga platforms in 1995. The game was published by Electronic Arts and developed by the now-defunct Delphine Software International. It features former professional basketball player Shaquille O'Neal (also known as Shaq) as a playable character. Shaq Fu was met with mixed responses from critics upon release, though it has since come to be considered one of the worst video games of all time. A sequel, Shaq Fu: A Legend Reborn, is in development.

In the game's storyline, Shaquille O'Neal walks into a dojo while heading to a charity basketball game in Tokyo, Japan. After speaking with Leotsu, a martial arts master, Shaq goes to another dimension, the Second World, where he must rescue a young boy named Nezu from the evil mummy Sett Ra.

The Genesis version of Shaq Fu has five more playable characters (Auroch, Colonel, Diesel, Leotsu, and Nezu) and three more stages (The Lab, The Wasteland, and Yasko Mines) than the Super NES version, thus the Genesis version has a longer story mode. The North Gate/South Gate stage is accessible in the SNES version with a cheat code, whereas the Genesis version has the North Gate/South Gate stage available by default. The Amiga version contains the same content as the Genesis version (it keeps the text "Licensed by Sega Enterprises, LTD" left over from that version on the title screen), though the backgrounds have no animation. It also only has three tunes; there is no background music during the fights.

The Game Boy version has the same seven characters as the Super NES version, whereas the Game Gear version only has six characters (Shaq, Leotsu, Mephis, Rajah, Kaori, and Sett Ra). Both the Game Boy and Game Gear versions lack a tournament mode and in-game voices.

Both the Genesis and SNES versions of the game contained a hidden button sequence that would initiate a "blood code" in the spirit of Mortal Kombat. The blood effects were subdued and minor which kept the game at its "MA-13" (known by modern rating standard as "T") rating. However, the blood code gave access to finishing moves within the game that were triggered by striking the opponent in a certain way to end the match. The finishing moves were not gory as those depicted in the fatalities of Mortal Kombat, but were considerably more violent when performed against monster-type characters in the game, rather than humans. Some of the finishing moves that have been discovered include the following examples:

Sett Ra, when struck with a high attack toward his head, would drop to his knees as his head caught fire. The body of Sett Ra would then dissolve, the wraps falling to the ground and the smoldering shoulder armor tumbling forward.
Beast, when struck in a certain way, would have his skin dissolve away revealing a skeleton which crumbles to the ground.
Mephis, when struck with a mid-range attack, would shatter into ghost-like shards which fade away into the air, leaving his decrepit robe behind.
Voodoo, when struck in a certain way, would fade into smoke, leaving her clothing behind on the ground.
Genesis-exclusive character Auroch would turn to stone and explode if struck with a mid-range attack.

Personal Thoughts

What a legendary game this was.  No wonder it was at the top of everyone's lists.  What a staggering score.  But no child of the 80s can forget the glory days of Shaq-Fu.  Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE was talking about this game nonstop for MONTHS.  People at my school held clandestine tournaments in the audio/visual room.  There was gambling and the occasional fist fight.  We all remember, on the political side, Tipper Gore's crusade against the violence within and caused by this timeless classic.  God.... I need to go play this right now.

[Pak-Man]

I knew it!

[Johnny Unusual]

Still waiting for the Kazaam DLC.

[PsychoGoatee]

MA-13! I don't think I was mature enough at 13 to handle the serious themes of that game.

[CJones]

What's hilarious is that Shaq is hands down the worst character in his own game.

[Pastor of Muppets]

Ok I got my trolling out of the way.  Now for the REAL #1.

[Pastor of Muppets]

#1

Super Mario World

System: Super Nintendo

176 Points

10 of 11 Lists.  Highest Rank: #1 Johnny Unusual

Year of Release: 1991

Details

Super Mario World is a 1991 side-scrolling platform video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). The story follows Mario's quest to save Princess Toadstool and Dinosaur Land from series' antagonist Bowser and his children, the Koopalings. Gameplay is similar to earlier entries in the series, with players controlling Mario, or his brother Luigi, through a series of levels to stop Bowser. The game also introduces Yoshi, a dinosaur who can eat enemies with his tongue.

Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development developed the game led by director Takashi Tezuka and producer and series creator Shigeru Miyamoto. It is the first entry in the Super Mario series developed for the SNES, and was designed to make the most of the console's advanced features. The development team was given more freedom in creating the game compared to previous Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) instalments. The character Yoshi had been conceptualised during the development of the NES games but was not used due to hardware limitations.

Super Mario World is a two-dimensional, side-scrolling platform game where the player controls the on-screen protagonist Mario. The game shares similar gameplay mechanics with earlier titles in the series—Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, and Super Mario Bros. 3—but introduces several new elements. In addition to the running and jumping moves found in past games, the player can float with the aid of special items, and execute new types of jumps such as the spin jump. The game has a total of 96 levels.

The player navigates through the game via two game screens: an overworld map and a side-scrolling playfield. The overworld map displays an overhead representation of the current world and has several paths leading from the world's entrance to a castle. Paths connect to action panels, fortresses, ghost houses and other map icons, and allow players to take different routes to reach the world's goal. Moving the on-screen character to an action panel or fortress allows access to that level's playfield. The majority of the game takes place in these linear levels, populated with obstacles and enemies, with the player traversing the stage by running, jumping, and dodging or defeating enemies. The player is given a number of lives, which are lost when an enemy attacks Mario, falls into a pit of lava, or runs out of time. If all lives are lost at any point in the game, the "Game Over" screen will appear, in which the player can continue from the last level played by selecting "Continue". Each world features a final stage with a boss to defeat; each of the seven worlds features fortresses controlled by one of the Koopalings, and the player also battles Bowser in his castle in the seventh and final world. Super Mario World includes a multiplayer option which allows two players to play the game by alternating turns at navigating the overworld map and accessing stage levels; the first player controls Mario, while the second controls his brother Luigi.

In addition to special power-ups from previous games like the "Super Mushroom" and "Fire Flower", new power-ups are introduced which provide the player with new gameplay options. The new power-up in the game is the Cape Feather, which gives Mario a cape and the ability to fly, glide in the air, and use the cape as a sail. The game also introduces the ability to "store" an extra power-up in a box at the top centre of the screen. For example, if the player obtains a Fire Flower or a Cape Feather, then a Super Mushroom will appear in the box. If the player gets hit by an enemy, the stored item in the box will automatically drop. Alternatively, the player can manually release the stored item at any time.

The game introduces Yoshi, a dinosaur companion Mario can ride who is able to eat most enemies.  If Yoshi attempts to eat a Koopa or its shell, he will hold it in his mouth for a time before swallowing it; Yoshi can also spit out the shell and fire it at enemies. When holding any Koopa shell in its mouth, Yoshi gains the ability that corresponds to its colour: a blue shell enables Yoshi to fly, a yellow shell causes Yoshi to emit dust clouds that kill nearby enemies, and a red shell allows Yoshi to produce three fireballs. Flashing Koopa shells produce all three abilities, while green shells produce none. The default Yoshi is green, but the game also has hidden blue, yellow, and red Yoshis; the player can obtain each coloured Yoshi by finding its egg in hidden areas, and feeding it enemies until it matures.

Although the main objective is to navigate through seven worlds to reach the end of the game, the player can beat the game much faster by using secret Star Road routes. To access hidden worlds, the player needs to find portals scattered throughout the game's levels. Portals are usually locked and require keys to open. Exploring these secret stages can lead to other stages, such as Special World. Completion of Special World permanently alters some sprites and the overworld map's colour scheme

<a href="https://youtube.com/v/bw3aj_Bes3Q" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://youtube.com/v/bw3aj_Bes3Q</a>

<a href="https://youtube.com/v/htFJTiVH5Ao" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://youtube.com/v/htFJTiVH5Ao</a>

<a href="https://youtube.com/v/R4fVK3egLw4" target="_blank" class="new_win">https://youtube.com/v/R4fVK3egLw4</a>

Personal Thoughts

This was an especially popular item, appearing on all but one list.  I had thought Link to the Past would be the winner, but Super Mario World beat it out once I started tabulating the lists.

I remember seeing this in a playable display at the Electronic Boutique in 1991.  The game was in the Vanilla Dome (level 3).  I played it, and was blown away.  Two of my brothers and I pooled our money, doing whatever we could, to get $200 for a Super Nintendo.  Dad kicked in $40 (well, technically he kicked in all of it since our money game from him and Mom) and after a month or two we had enough saved up in a cigar box full of cash to get it.  Dad bought the system, brought it home, and we hungrily devoured it.  My brother is only a year younger than me, and we attended the same school.  One day, he was sitting a few rows behind me on the bus, and when we got to our stop he shouted out “don't let him get off!”.  After we both got off the bus, we raced home to be the first on the Super Nintendo.  I don't remember who won.

[Pastor of Muppets]

As you can see, it was close at the top.  Super Mario World only beat out Link to the Past by 10 points.

[Johnny Unusual]

Super Mario World is a fun and handsome game.  It's not just the good graphics, it's the presentation and tone. I love the way when you beat the level it slowly fades to black.  Great level design, new power-ups and such that can be used in great ways (like ditching Yoshi for an extra super-jump) and just another case of Shigeru Miyamoto innovating a great new game.  It isn't as big an overhaul or re-imagining as some of his other games, but it has a lot of little ones that push the franchise forward in the best ways.

[PsychoGoatee]

Mario is the man!

Cool countdown by the way!

[stethacantus]

How did my #7 not make the LoC? I thought the low points were 16.

[CJones]

I was the one who DIDN'T have SMW. Apparently I'm the only one who thinks that game is grossly overrated. SMB3 and Yoshi's Island are both FAR better games.

[Johnny Unusual]

Thanks so much Retro.  Great job on a great list.  BTW, usually the person responsible for the previous list makes the call for submissions thread for the next list.

Here's my list.

1. Super Mario World
2. The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
3. Final Fantasy III (VI)
4. Street Fighter II
5. Chrono Trigger
6. Donkey Kong Country
7. Final Fantasy II (IV)
8. Super Mario Kart
9. Super Mario All Stars
10. Super Mario RPG
11. Earthworm Jim
12. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time
13. Super Punch Out
14. Super Ghouls n Ghosts
15. Yoshi's Island
16. ActRaiser
17. NBA Jam
18. Mario Paint
19. Rock n Roll Racing
20. Sunset Riders
21. Final Fight
22. Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine
23. Contra III: The Alien Wars
24. Star Fox
25. Sonic the Hedgehog

[Russoguru]

25 Pilotwings
24 Final Fight
23 Captain America and the Avengers
22 Sky Blazer
21 R Type 3 The Third Lightning
20 F-zero
19 Hagane
18 Contra 3 The Alien Wars
17 Gradius 3
16 Kirby's Dream Land 3
15 Ninja Gaiden Trilogy
14 Street Fighter 2 Turbo: Hyper Fighting
13 Killer Instinct
12 Super Castlevania IV
11 UN Squadron
10 Star Fox
9 Super Punch Out
8 Mega Man X
7 Chrono Trigger
6 Final Fantasy VI(3)
5 Super Mario World
4 Final Fantasy IV(2)
3 Donkey Kong Country
2 Legend of Zelda: A link to the Past
1 Super Metroid

[CJones]

How did my #7 not make the LoC? I thought the low points were 16.

Good question. Should have been worth 19 points. What was it?