ClayFighter
Encyclopedia
ClayFighter is a fighting game
released for the Super NES
in 1993, and later ported to Mega Drive/Genesis
in 1994. It has been re-released on Nintendo's Virtual Console
along with the two Earthworm Jim
games and Boogerman, which are also by Interplay.
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
.
Bad Mr. Frosty - A snowman
with a bad attitude. His special attacks include throwing snowballs, spitting sharp balls of ice, sliding along the ground and kicking his opponent, and turning into a snow boulder and rolling into his opponent. His arena in 1-player mode is an icy lake in front of an ice block castle with penguin spectators.
Blob - A blob of clay. A self-proclaimed master of "goojitsu," his specialty is "morphing" into objects to attack his opponent, with his specialty being transforming into a buzzsaw and cutting his opponent in half. He is said to be highly intelligent, despite being made up of the slimy dregs of the mutagenic meteor. His arena is a pool of green slime.
Blue Suede Goo - An Elvis impersonator
with wildly exaggerated features, including a big gut and even bigger hair. He throws musical notes at his opponent and uses his hair as a blade. He fights on the keys of a flaming piano with the words "Big Hunk O' Burnin' Clay" (A parody of the Elvis song "Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love
") on it. His name is a parody of the song "Blue Suede Shoes
."
Bonker - A cheerfully manic clown whose arsenal includes deadly pies, killer cartwheels, and the big hammer that gives him his name. He will fight in two funhouses, one resembling a clown head, the other resembling a bubble-spewing rubber duck
(Although their interiors are the same, save for a palette swap).
Helga - An obese opera singer with incredibly large breasts and Blue Suede Goo's rival. She attacks by hurling herself at her opponents, stabbing them with the horns on her helmet, and by hitting that high note for a sonic scream. The first foe in 1-Player mode, she will fight the player on stage at an open-air opera theatre.
Ickybod Clay - A ghost with a pumpkin head. He can teleport, and throw balls of ectoplasm
at foes. His name is a play on Ichabod Crane
from Sleepy Hollow
, and his pumpkin-head is based on the Headless Horseman
from the same tale. His arena is a haunted house
.
Taffy - A fighting piece of taffy
whose attacks mainly involve stretching far and twisting his super-flexible body. Arguably the best character in the game to use and in general besides The Blob. Taffy uses some of the most useful, powerful, and exciting moves in the game. His double fist charging punch is the best and strongest move in the game. In 1-player mode, he will fight in two overflowing taffy factories.
Tiny - A wrestler
type character who doesn't really rely on wrestling. Instead, he uses his big fists to charge across the screen and punch, as well as rolling himself into a ball and flinging himself at foes. Another foe with two palette-swapped arenas, he will fight in a wrestling ring or at a coliseum.
N. Boss - The final boss is an odd necklace-like creature. Looking like nothing so much as a string of pearls with two round eyes (one wide-open, one half-closed), N. Boss only attacks with projectiles copied from other characters and a grab attack. Unlike the other characters, he doesn't actually appear to be made of clay and the announcer doesn't announce his name at the start of the match (similar to Master Hand from Super Smash Bros.
) or when he wins, both suggesting that he was thrown in at the last second just to have a final opponent to face. N. Boss uses the Blob's stage as a final battleground. His name is a pun, poking fun at both M. Bison
from Street Fighter II
and the phrase "end boss
."
and ClayFighter 63⅓ for the Nintendo 64
, which had its own special edition
version only for rent at Blockbuster Video stores in America
. This "Sculptor's Cut" edition included bonus fighters cut out of the original release for 63⅓, including Lady Liberty, High Five, Lockjaw Pooch, and Zappa Yow Yow Boyz. Many special attacks that the characters used were removed and the combo system was also altered. While the game was a rental exclusive, although rare, it is not uncommon for people to have the game. For example, many Blockbusters liquidated their stock of rental copies and sold them in their stores as a used game.
On September 15, 2009, Interplay announced a return of ClayFighter for WiiWare
and DSiWare.
The game is named as Clay Fighter: Call of Putty a joke with Call of Duty
.
exclusive fix of the original with many things changed, such as:
. They also awarded it Best Sound Effects, as well as awarding it for having the Best Ad.
Fighting game
Fighting game is a video game genre where the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent. These characters tend to be of equal power and fight matches consisting of several rounds, which take place in an arena. Players must master techniques such as...
released for the Super NES
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
in 1993, and later ported to Mega Drive/Genesis
Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis is a fourth-generation video game console developed and produced by Sega. It was originally released in Japan in 1988 as , then in North America in 1989 as Sega Genesis, and in Europe, Australia and other PAL regions in 1990 as Mega Drive. The reason for the two names is that...
in 1994. It has been re-released on Nintendo's Virtual Console
Virtual console
A virtual console – also known as a virtual terminal – is a conceptual combination of the keyboard and display for a computer user interface. It is a feature of some operating systems such as UnixWare, Linux, and BSD, in which the system console of the computer can be used to switch between...
along with the two Earthworm Jim
Earthworm Jim
Earthworm Jim is a run and gun platform video game starring an earthworm named Jim in a robotic suit who battles evil. Created by Doug TenNapel and designed by David Perry, the game was developed by Shiny Entertainment and Playmates Interactive Entertainment, released by Sega for the Mega...
games and Boogerman, which are also by Interplay.
Most of the game features a circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
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
Interplay Entertainment
Interplay Entertainment Corporation is an American video game developer and publisher, founded in 1983 as Interplay Productions by Brian Fargo. The company had been a quality developer until they started publishing their own games in 1988, like Neuromancer and Battle Chess. The company was renamed...
, the second being a platformer titled Claymates
Claymates
Claymates is a video game for the Super NES. It is the first of Interplay's claymation titles which later included the ClayFighter series.-Overview:...
.
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.Characters
The game features eight playable characters and one boss character:Bad Mr. Frosty - A snowman
Snowman
A snowman is an anthropomorphic snow sculpture. They are customarily built by children as part of a family project in celebration of winter. In some cases, participants in winter festivals will build large numbers of snowmen...
with a bad attitude. His special attacks include throwing snowballs, spitting sharp balls of ice, sliding along the ground and kicking his opponent, and turning into a snow boulder and rolling into his opponent. His arena in 1-player mode is an icy lake in front of an ice block castle with penguin spectators.
Blob - A blob of clay. A self-proclaimed master of "goojitsu," his specialty is "morphing" into objects to attack his opponent, with his specialty being transforming into a buzzsaw and cutting his opponent in half. He is said to be highly intelligent, despite being made up of the slimy dregs of the mutagenic meteor. His arena is a pool of green slime.
Blue Suede Goo - An Elvis impersonator
Elvis impersonator
An Elvis impersonator is someone who impersonates or copies famed American musician Elvis Presley. Professional Elvis impersonators can work all over the world as entertainers, and such tribute acts are in great demand due to the unique iconic status of Elvis...
with wildly exaggerated features, including a big gut and even bigger hair. He throws musical notes at his opponent and uses his hair as a blade. He fights on the keys of a flaming piano with the words "Big Hunk O' Burnin' Clay" (A parody of the Elvis song "Hunka Hunka Burnin' Love
Burning Love
"Burning Love" is a song written by Dennis Linde, first recorded by Arthur Alexander, who included it on his self-titled 1971 album, and made famous by Elvis Presley, who took it to #2 in the United States in 1972...
") on it. His name is a parody of the song "Blue Suede Shoes
Blue Suede Shoes
"Blue Suede Shoes" is a rock and roll standard written and first recorded by Carl Perkins in 1955 and is considered one of the first rockabilly records and incorporated elements of blues, country and pop music of the time...
."
Bonker - A cheerfully manic clown whose arsenal includes deadly pies, killer cartwheels, and the big hammer that gives him his name. He will fight in two funhouses, one resembling a clown head, the other resembling a bubble-spewing rubber duck
Rubber duck
A rubber duck is a toy shaped like a stylised Yellow-billed Duck , and is generally yellow with a flat base. It may be made of rubber or rubber-like material such as vinyl plastic...
(Although their interiors are the same, save for a palette swap).
Helga - An obese opera singer with incredibly large breasts and Blue Suede Goo's rival. She attacks by hurling herself at her opponents, stabbing them with the horns on her helmet, and by hitting that high note for a sonic scream. The first foe in 1-Player mode, she will fight the player on stage at an open-air opera theatre.
Ickybod Clay - A ghost with a pumpkin head. He can teleport, and throw balls of ectoplasm
Ectoplasm (paranormal)
Ectoplasm is a term coined by Charles Richet to denote a substance or spiritual energy "exteriorized" by physical mediums...
at foes. His name is a play on Ichabod Crane
Ichabod Crane
Ichabod Crane is a fictional character in Washington Irving's short story The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, first published in 1820.-Origin:...
from Sleepy Hollow
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" is a short story by Washington Irving contained in his collection The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., written while he was living in Birmingham, England, and first published in 1820...
, and his pumpkin-head is based on the Headless Horseman
Headless Horseman
The headless horseman has been a motif of European folklore since at least the Middle ages.The Headless Horseman is a fictional character who appears in a short story called “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” which is in a collection of The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon written by Washington Irving...
from the same tale. His arena is a haunted house
Haunted house
A haunted house is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were familiar with the property...
.
Taffy - A fighting piece of taffy
Taffy (candy)
Taffy is a type of chewy candy, similar to toffee. Taffy is often sold alongside bubblegum and candy. Taffy is made by stretching or pulling a sticky mass of boiled sugar, butter or vegetable oil, flavorings, and coloring until fluffy. When this process is complete, the taffy is rolled, cut into...
whose attacks mainly involve stretching far and twisting his super-flexible body. Arguably the best character in the game to use and in general besides The Blob. Taffy uses some of the most useful, powerful, and exciting moves in the game. His double fist charging punch is the best and strongest move in the game. In 1-player mode, he will fight in two overflowing taffy factories.
Tiny - A wrestler
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
type character who doesn't really rely on wrestling. Instead, he uses his big fists to charge across the screen and punch, as well as rolling himself into a ball and flinging himself at foes. Another foe with two palette-swapped arenas, he will fight in a wrestling ring or at a coliseum.
N. Boss - The final boss is an odd necklace-like creature. Looking like nothing so much as a string of pearls with two round eyes (one wide-open, one half-closed), N. Boss only attacks with projectiles copied from other characters and a grab attack. Unlike the other characters, he doesn't actually appear to be made of clay and the announcer doesn't announce his name at the start of the match (similar to Master Hand from Super Smash Bros.
Super Smash Bros.
Super Smash Bros., known in Japan as , is a fighting game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64. It was released in Japan on January 21, 1999, in North America on April 26, 1999, and in Europe on November 19, 1999. Super Smash Bros. is the first game in the Super...
) or when he wins, both suggesting that he was thrown in at the last second just to have a final opponent to face. N. Boss uses the Blob's stage as a final battleground. His name is a pun, poking fun at both M. Bison
M. Bison
M. Bison, known in Japan as Vega, is a video game character created by Capcom. First introduced in Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, he is a recurring character in the Street Fighter series of fighting games, acting as the final boss and primary antagonist of the Street Fighter II and Street...
from Street Fighter II
Street Fighter II
is a competitive fighting game originally released for the arcades in . It is the arcade sequel to the original Street Fighter released in and was Capcom's fourteenth title that ran on the CP System arcade hardware...
and the phrase "end boss
Boss (video games)
A boss is an enemy-based challenge which is found in video games. A fight with a boss character is commonly referred to as a boss battle or boss fight...
."
Sequels
It was followed up by a tournament edition, then two sequels, C2 Judgement ClayC2 Judgement Clay
C-2: Judgement Clay, also known as Clay Fighter 2, is Interplay's 1994 sequel to ClayFighter. Its name is a parody of Terminator 2: Judgment Day.-Story:...
and ClayFighter 63⅓ for the Nintendo 64
Nintendo 64
The , often referred to as N64, was Nintendo′s third home video game console for the international market. Named for its 64-bit CPU, it was released in June 1996 in Japan, September 1996 in North America, March 1997 in Europe and Australia, September 1997 in France and December 1997 in Brazil...
, which had its own special edition
Special edition
The terms special edition, limited edition and variants such as deluxe edition, collector's edition and others, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints or recorded music and films, but now including...
version only for rent at Blockbuster Video stores in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. This "Sculptor's Cut" edition included bonus fighters cut out of the original release for 63⅓, including Lady Liberty, High Five, Lockjaw Pooch, and Zappa Yow Yow Boyz. Many special attacks that the characters used were removed and the combo system was also altered. While the game was a rental exclusive, although rare, it is not uncommon for people to have the game. For example, many Blockbusters liquidated their stock of rental copies and sold them in their stores as a used game.
On September 15, 2009, Interplay announced a return of ClayFighter for WiiWare
WiiWare
WiiWare is a service that allows Wii users to download games and applications specifically designed and developed for the Wii video game console made by Nintendo. These games and applications can only be purchased and downloaded from the Wii Shop Channel under the WiiWare section...
and DSiWare.
The game is named as Clay Fighter: Call of Putty a joke with Call of Duty
Call of Duty
Call of Duty is a first-person shooter video game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision in 2003. It is the first game in a series with the same name. The game simulates the infantry and combined arms warfare of World War II. The game is based on the Quake III: Team Arena engine...
.
Clayfighter: Tournament Edition
Clayfighter: Tournament Edition was a Super NintendoSuper Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
exclusive fix of the original with many things changed, such as:
- Most stages from the original were modified. The stages were either slightly edited, some redone from scratch.
- Many glitches from the original were fixed. Notably, the glitch to play as N. Boss was removed.
- Many new modes were added, more versus modes were added, since it is a 'tournament' edition.
- The intro and title screen were edited.
Reception
ClayFighter was awarded Best Street Fighter Wannabee of 1993 by Electronic Gaming MonthlyElectronic Gaming Monthly
Electronic Gaming Monthly is a bimonthly American video game magazine. It has been published by EGM Media, LLC. since relaunching in April of 2010. Its previous run, which ended in January 2009, was published by Ziff Davis...
. They also awarded it Best Sound Effects, as well as awarding it for having the Best Ad.