The genre was still fresh, so the possibilities seemed endless.
Some games tried to simply copyStreet Fighter IIand hoped it would be enough.
Some tried to beStreet Fighter II, but improve on the formula.
Others tried to find a gimmick or two that really made them stand out.
Midway found its novelty take and reaped the rewards.
Few other games were as successful.
But it needed more of a gimmick to stand out.
Ad content continues below
And so,ClayFighterwas born.
Despite being goofy, it wasnt really a parody of fighting games in any way.
Not likeDivekickwould become decades later.
The clay mutagen spread across the circus, transforming people and objects into clay-based lifeforms.
Our cast includes…
Bad Mr. Frosty:An evil snowman.
Taffy:A pile of taffy turned into a stretchy being.
Blue Suede Goo:An overweight Elvis impersonator with a razor-sharp pompadour.
Original name from the beta version of the game was Elvis the Impersonator.
Bonker:A surprisingly jacked clown.
Tiny:A simple-minded wrestler/strongman who for some reason isnt a grappler in-game.
Originally was going to be called Crusher.
Ickybod Clay:A ghost with a pumpkin head and sheet body, who is obsessed with scaring everyone.
Originally was going to be called Ghost Guy.
Helga:An overweight opera singer Viking lady because…circus.
Originally was going to be called Val.
Blob:The remaining clay goo was drawn together and became its own sentient life form.
Then theres N. Boss, whos only playable in versus mode via code.
Hes a circle of orbs with two eyes whose only attacks are a throw and use of every projectile.
Hes a bit unexplained and half-baked, but hes still the best boss battle the trilogys given us.
Aesthetically, the game is great.
The soundtrack is seriously great for SNES, including an opening theme song with actual lyrics.
The backgrounds are…there.
Nothing special, but nothing terrible.
into the brains of many.
They even have pre-round introductions by the creatures fromClaymates, another clay-based game Interplay was releasing around that time.
The only newish thing added in the game was the KO system.
would point at them.
But that was it.
Despite all of its delightful fluff, it was still just a lesser version ofStreet Fighter II.
Fun for what it was, but still a mediocre game with a nice package.
Several of them were about making fun of the competition.
Then one ad had Taffy wrapped around Fuuma and Janne fromWorld Heroes.
Um…World Heroes, huh?
Thats the fighting game that needs to be taken down a peg?
That was #3 on the hit list?
I know things were slim pickings back in the early 90s, but really?
If you say so, Interplay.
I am rather shocked that Interplay never tried to expand the brand in any way.
Hell,Primal Rageof all games not only had a comic miniseries, but it had its ownprose novel!
The graphics and sound design each took a pretty big hit.
Most notable was the drop in quality for the theme song, which couldnt even include the lyrics.
Around that time, they released an updated version for SNES calledClayFighter: Tournament Edition.
Blue Suede GoosTournament Editionbackground is outright horrifying, by the way.
ClayFighterwas enough of a success to warrant a sequel, and Interplay put togetherClayFighter 2: Judgment Clay.
It came out in January 1995, just over a year after the release of the first game.
The graphics are very different, feeling more like something out ofGumby.
He looks sort of hand-drawn.
The music is incredibly generic and would be fine for something likeDouble Dragon, but is completely misused here.
Now everybodys fighting it out to see who runs the town.
Once again, we only have eight guys to choose from (sort of).
Because its the goddamn 90s and backwards baseball caps are the coolest shit ever!
Now lets go skateboarding and cross our arms while pointing our elbows as high as we can!
Blob:Also remade from scratch, Blob actually looks a bit better this time around.
Between his appearance and his kickass background, hes like the outlier of the game.
Tiny:The canon winner of the last game because its always the least interesting character they go with.
The Liu Kang Effect.
Tiny was supposedly added in last minute and they just reused his sprites from the first game.
It makes him stand out like a sore thumb due to the difference in quality.
Kangoo:A boxing kangaroo with a baby kangaroo in her pouch.
Goo Goo:A giant baby with a rattle-mace.
Runs with a gang of law-breaking babies.
Nana Man:A talking banana with a Caribbean accent.
Hoppy:A massive rabbit made out to be a hybrid of Stallone and Schwarzenegger types.
Is really the only new design worth a damn.
Octohead:An octopus with attacks that utilize his many arms.
Doesnt actually look that bad.
There was also no final boss character.
Instead, the roster of eight each came with a different doppelganger.
Bad Mr. Frostys evil double was Ice, Nana Mans was Dr. Peelgood, Hoppys was Sarge, etc.
All of them were unlockable.
Plus, once again, there was nothing new or unique to the sequel.
The thirdClayFighterwas certainly the most ambitious project.
That console was then cancelled and the game became a project for Nintendo 64 and PlayStation.
Fighters would now have super attacks and Claytalities.
Other Interplay characters would guest-star, giving it a roster of a whopping 17 characters.
I want to shift gears a little, if I may.
From the moment this game was announced, I was completely stoked.
I loved fighting games and had every intention of getting my hands on the Nintendo 64.
Month after month, I would look through them for any information on the game.
I fell for a trap, ultimately, because these were stills shown in high resolution.
This didnt really give me much to go on.
The game I was chomping at the bit to play was constantly being delayed.
I was only able to findone siteaboutClayFighter 63 1/3.
Then, on October 23, 1997, the game finally released.
After a couple hours, I checked back to see his thoughts.
The site was replaced with something along the lines of: The game is shit.
Im closing the site.
Oh, sweet Jesus, no.
I got the game that day, and needless to say, it was underwhelming as hell.
If it didnt already feel unfinished, it was confirmed by the fact thatthey dropped five whole characters.
One of which was on the box art, which only featured four characters to begin with!
The third chapter of clay lore centers around Dr.
Kilns plot for world domination.
In total, the game has twelve characters.
Bad Mr. Frosty:Has his top hat back and now comes off as louder and more grave.
Is played up as the main hero now.
Blob:Redesigned with a constant Peoples Eyebrow thing going on.
Talks like a dimwitted slob, sounding exactly like Infraggable Krunk fromDexters Lab.
Dr. Kiln:A mad scientist with a German accent.
The manual talks about his hand getting infected with clay and Kiln having to cut it off.
Easily the best-looking character in the game.
Ickybod Clay:The ghost returns to haunt the island.
Is redesigned with stalk-like hands.
Coincidentally, his backstory claims he was exiled from the previous game, referencing how he was almost included.
Taffy:Very similar to his old self, though now he has a candy gun.
Sumo Santa:Is Santa Claus.
As a sumo wrestler.
Its like thats the only joke they know.
T-Hoppy:Being the onlyJudgment Claycharacter worth bringing back, Hoppy returns as a half-bunny/half-cyborg.
Hes been brainwashed/reprogrammed by Kiln.
Kung Pow:A Chinese martial artist jot down who is also a chef.
Is such a racist caricature that even the cast ofPunch Outthink hes going too far.
Its a pretty good novelty.
Going with the theme of the game, hed constantly announce, LETS GET READY TO CRUMBLE!
There were a couple gimmicks in the game that added to the atmosphere, but were mostly pointless.
Stuff like how instead of blood, characters would bleed pieces of clay and objects related to them.
Like Sumo Santa would bleed wrapped gifts or Blob would have burgers spill out of him.
Then again, I guess they just wanted it to seem more cutting edge, since 3D was in.
Then, of course, the Claytalities.
Everyone had 2-4 of them and they were 90% stupid.
That said, there were still a couple good Claytalities mixed in there.
Houngan would go ham on his voodoo doll, outright mauling his opponent in response.
Hey, remember when that first installment was created so parents could buy their kids an all-ages game?
At least, animation problems aside, the characters did have personality.
The sculpted models looked expressive and the voice actors definitely improved on earlier takes of the characters.
Still, the developers got to redeem themselves at least a little bit.
In the middle of 1998, they releasedClayFighter: Sculptors Cut.
you’ve got the option to get some serious cash for this game on eBay.
The update goes to show how much better a game can feel if the atmosphere is on point.
The whole package comes off as far less rinky-dink and feels like the cartoon its supposed to be.
I love that song, but to this day I cant understand whats being said after the first CLAY!
Is it One-to-one they set the stage?
Kilns mangy dog with a huge set of teeth.
Lady Liberty:A buff, human-sized Statue of Liberty, out to save T-Hoppy from being mind-controlled.
They want all the visiting clay warriors to get the hell off their island.
High Five:Dr.
Kilns giant, dismembered hand.
Even with the added characters, theres still one missing: Hobo Cop.
Heres whatNintendo Powers old article onClayFighter 63 1/3had to say on him back when he was intended to exist.
Hobo Cop spent too many years on the force trying to forget the horrors of his job.
Now hes a staggering, swaying embarrassment to the badge.
But even the lowest clay fighter has his dreams and his pride.
Can Hobo Cop rise to the occasion and help Frosty bring Kiln to justice?
So theres your line, folks.
Kung Pow is okay.
Sumo Santa turning his opponents into explosive diarrhea is okay.
Hobo Cop is going too far.
AfterSculptors Cuthit Blockbuster, theClayFighterproperty essentially died.
The Nintendo 64 wasnt exactly the best friend to Interplay, considering 1999sEarthworm Jim 3Dkilledthatproperty as well.
Since then, theres been minor bumps in terms of revivals, but nothing thats really stuck.
In 2009, they announced a re-release ofSculptors Cutfor WiiWare and DSiWare under the titleClayFighter: Call of Putty.
Despite a few screenshots released, there was little in terms of updates and the project was eventually cancelled.
You know,SoulCalibur.
But hey, we live in a world whereKiller Instinctwas able to make a comeback, so who knows?
