ClayFighter

ClayFighter is a fighting game released for the Super NES in 1993 and later ported to Sega Mega Drive/Genesis in 1994. It was later released on Nintendo's Virtual Console.

Most of the game features a circus theme focused more on humor than serious gameplay. It features claymation-style graphics that were created by photographing and digitizing actual clay models.

The game was one of the two "clay" themed game franchises made by Interplay, the second being a platformer titled Claymates.

History

ClayFighter's design was originally made to compete with fighting games such as Mortal Kombat, but without the heavy violence and gore that was becoming controversial. Interplay pushed the game saying "Parents who object to blood-and-guts games now have an alternative title that gives kids the kind of intense action they want to see in fighting games" to draw sales.

Plot

A meteor made entirely out of clay crash-lands on the grounds of a humble American circus. The goo from the interstellar object contaminates all of the circus' attractions, transforming them into bizarre caricatures of their former selves, with new superpowers.

ClayFighter 63⅓

ClayFighter 63⅓ is a fighting video game developed and published by Interplay Entertainment for the Nintendo 64 (N64) video game console in 1997. Its title is a parody of other games released for the N64 at the time, many of which were popular franchises with "64" suffixed (such as Super Mario 64). A later version of the game, ClayFighter: Sculptor's Cut, released for rental only, is one of the rarest and most expensive N64 games. It, along with Rakugakids was one of the only 2D fighting games for the N64.

Gameplay

Like its predecessors ClayFighter and C2 Judgement Clay, Clayfighter 63⅓ uses stop motion animation and claymation as opposed to traditional computer animation to produce a unique effect. It is also a homage to The Naked Gun movie series titles, particularly Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult.

The arenas in ClayFighter 63⅓ are unique in that each one, with several exceptions, houses multiple rooms; during fights players can punch or kick their opponents into different rooms and the fight will then continue in that room. There are 26 different rooms to fight in. Originally planned for release on 3DO's M2 console as ClayFighter III, the game initially had a much darker tone.

ClayFighter 2: Judgment Clay

ClayFighter 2: Judgment Clay is a one-on-one fighting video game, Interplay's 1995 sequel to ClayFighter. Its name is a parody of Terminator 2: Judgment Day.

Story

ClayFighter 2 revolves around the town of Mudville, where the clay meteor crashed in ClayFighter. Learning of the spectacle that took place in "Clayland", the evil Dr. Generic Kiln–this character is only mentioned in the booklet and does not make a physical appearance until ClayFighter 63⅓ for Nintendo 64–flies in on his aircraft containing the residue he collected from the meteor and spreads it to the rest of Mudville in order to create more fighters. He declares himself grand master of Mudville after the fall of N. Boss, the end boss of the original ClayFighter. He holds the C-2 tournament to see who can become next grandmaster of Mudville.

Fighters

Protagonists

Bad Mr. Frosty - Frosty, the main character of the original ClayFighter, returns with a new look, wearing a backwards baseball cap instead of a top hat. Just released from prison, where he was incarcerated for beating up Santa Claus, he has been fully rehabilitated, and now fights for the side of good. His arena is the North Pole.