Developed by Delphine Software International and published by Electronic Arts in 1994.

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Link to Mega Drive Version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMXynignSrE&list=UUzoMKoGaZXlfLhRkYIOpYlA

Despite a poor reception, Shaq Fu was still released on a diverse range of platforms. As usual, I was keen to see how the two main 16-bit console releases from Sega and Ninetendo compared.

Again, despite being a cross-platform release, there are noticeable differences between the Mega Drive and SNES versions of the game and I will try to cover them here.

The most glaring difference here is that the SNES has considerably less fighters/stages than the MD version. This makes the game considerably shorter and, arguably, worse value for money. As to why the fighter roster was reduced is something I've never been able to determine; cartridge ROM cost could have been a factor, but I've yet to see any reason for the difference.

The gameplay between the MD and SNES is noticeably different. Although the player can alter the gameplay speed, the "Normal" speed on the SNES is noticeably slower-paced than the MD version. The CPU opponent is also a lot tougher at normal difficulty on the SNES and will block player attacks/counter attack more often. I felt that certain CPU characters dealt more damage in this version, particularly when fighting Sett Ra.

The overall effect of these changes is that combat in the SNES version feels like a much more strategic and considered affair than the MD. I was able to defeat opponents on the MD version is approx. 30 seconds, whereas I was able to win fights on the SNES version with but a few seconds to spare. One theory behind this could be that, with a smaller fight roster, the developers increased the difficulty to make the game seem longer than it actually is.

Graphically, the two versions are almost identical. However, the SNES has a superior colour palette and less dithering in the background art. Even so, the differences are certainly not prominent enough to claim that one version looks better than the other. In terms of resolution, the SNES sports a higher vertical res than the MD, but again, this is hardly noticeable.

With regards to audio, the SNES makes use of digital samples to improve the music and outshines the MD in this regard. However, as with True Lies, the MD version sounds crisper/sharper than the SNES version.

Deciding which is the better version is a tricky task, but I think that it boils down to quality versus quantity. The slower paced combat of the SNES, while never approaching the sublime experience of Capcom's fighting games, provides a superior gameplay experience whilst the MD version undoubtedly provides the player
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91NqhV5dtkU