The Beginning
Growing up I was a wuss. I remember openly weeping when my dad rented Doom for my SNES and tried to play the game with me. I think if I remember right I was scared that playing a violent game with demons would condemn me to a life of eternal damnation.
Needless to say if I couldn't even hang with the even then low tech port of Doom, games like Mortal Kombat weren't my jam. That was a predicament. All my friends were playing fighting games and I wanted to feel included, while at the same time not haunted by nightmares. I asked my mom for Street Fighter at the suggestion of a kid at school...and got this.
The Terminator 2 reference was lost on young me. All I knew was Clayfighter 2: Judgement Clay (there were versions before this...I didn't play them) was a game where I could fight a baby with a hulked out rabbit. I absolutely loved it, which is weird because watching it now I'm a little disturbed by it. The backdrops had things from "thug babies" to trees with weird faces, and the character list included a snow man, banana, and goo blob. Disturbing now, was absolutely hilarious as a kid.
Maybe it was the fact that it was all made to look like clay that made me okay with it. It may also be each character had their own over the top special moves and ridiculous voices shouting out their names as they performed them. To be honest I still can't tell you why I love this game, I just do.
Everyone who came to my house played this game that only I seemingly owned, and felt the wrath of my Nanaman game.
N64 Era
Unfortunately, the ride had to come to a close. My parents told me if I wanted an N64, I would have to relinquish my SNES to my younger cousin, who promptly sold it for books (idiot). In the age of Zelda, Mario 64, and Goldeneye it was rather easy to forget my former beloved fighter. Our path's wouldn't cross again until a fated trip to Blockbuster.
It's ridiculous that I can remember this by the way.
So my sister and I had to pick a game that we both agreed on to be able to rent it. This meant we ended up renting a lot of Monopoly, and that stupid awful Rugrats rip off of Mario Party...
God that game was awful. Anyway if you're familiar with the Clayfighter series you know where I'm going with this. I see the box for Clayfighter 63 1/3rd Directors Cut. It wasn't even fair. I learned in the early days of DVD that Directors Cut was code for superior, and the fact that you could only get to play the game at Blockbuster??? It was a done deal. I convinced my sister that I could get my dad to get her a Bratz doll (I couldn't) if she agreed to get the game and before you know it I was smashing Clay with Earthworm Jim and Boogerman.
Where Is It Now And Will We Get Another?
In 2010 there was a DSi game in the works. Clayfighter: Call of Putty was meant to be another 2D fighter reviving some of the series favorite characters. Long story short the game was cancelled and we did not have any hope of seeing another Clayfighter until a huge announcement made by the developers Interplay last year.
Many sites jumped on the news that Clayfighter would be coming to PC in 2016 with updated graphics, revamped audio, and the return of many classic characters. We are rolling up on a year since that announcement and I can't find any additional info that the project is still coming or has been released. Hopefully we can get an update on that soon, I need my fix!
