ClayFighter 63 1/3
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| ClayFighter 63 1/3 | |
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| Developer(s) | Interplay |
| Publisher(s) | Interplay |
| Release date(s) | October 21, 1997 |
| Genre(s) | Fighting |
| Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: Teen (T) |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo 64 |
ClayFighter 63 1/3 is a fighting game released for the Nintendo 64 by Interplay in 1997. Its title is a parody of other games released for the Nintendo 64 at the time, many of which were popular franchises with "64" suffixed, perhaps borrowing from The Naked Gun 33⅓.
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[edit] Gameplay
Like its prequels ClayFighter and C2 Judgement Clay (both released on the SNES), Clayfighter 63 1/3 uses stop motion animation and claymation as opposed to traditional computer animation to produce a unique effect.
The Arenas in ClayFighter 63 1/3 are unique in that each arena houses multiple rooms; during fights players can punch or kick their opponents into different rooms and the fight will then continue in that room. Originally planned for release on 3D0's M2 console, the game initially had a much darker tone.
The game itself parodies other fighting games. It uses a 3-level bar for super combos like in Street Fighter Alpha and uses parries like Street Fighter III, and many of the super attacks are noticeably variations of attacks from the Street Fighter series. It also features a combo system similar to Killer Instinct, although it makes fun of the combo names (for example, "Itty Bitty Combo", or "Triple Brown Betty Combo", even as high as a 234 hit combo, which is known as "Insane Combo"). It also parodies Mortal Kombat's fatalities with silly sequences (they are called Claytalities). The game's announcer is Michael Buffer, who begins each match with a variation of his famous catchphrase: "Let's get ready to crumble!"
[edit] Fighters
There are 12 bizarre fighters in ClayFighter 63 1/3, some from previous games in the series, but most debuting in this game. The first nine are available for play immediately, and the latter three are hidden characters that can be unlocked with cheat codes.
Bad Mr. Frosty (voiced by Jim Cummings)
A reformed villain from the previous games, Bad Mr. Frosty is a grouchy snowman who seeks to halt Dr. Kiln's sinister plot and reclaim the North Pole from Sumo Santa. Frosty battles by transforming his frozen body in various ways, creating snow balls, ice picks, and other such weapons. Frosty tends to taunt his opponents by leeringly growling, "Call me Daddy!" He's one of the few characters to appear in all three games in the series, though his appearance has changed greatly in each game.
Blob (voiced by Frank Welker)
An amorphous green blob with a dopey grin, the Blob may not look like a skilled fighter at first glance. In actuality, Blob is a master of morphing, transforming his body into cannons, sledgehammers, boxing gloves, and many other weapons. Blob also has an appetite for living clay, and thinks nothing of gobbling up a downed opponent for a quick snack. Blob has also been in all three games in the series. In previous games, the Blob had a high-pitched voice and a sadistic grin, but for this outing he's been given a Quasimodo-like voice and a dopey expression.
Bonker the Clown (voiced by Rob Paulsen)
A former children's entertainer, Bonker went insane years ago and now seeks revenge on anybody who laughed at him in his life. With a perpetual scowl on his face and a somber tone of voice, Bonker's homicidal mania belies his flamboyant dress and makeup. Attacking with cream pies, mallets and a portable cannon, Bonker has many ways to make his enemies suffer. He's a returning character from the first game, with a completely different design: the original Bonker had a manic grin and a cheerfully screechy voice.
Kung Pow (voiced by Jess Harnell)
Rather resembling a bucktoothed Bruce Lee, Kung Pow is a Chinese chef who is also skilled in the martial arts. He wears a white gi, and his dialogue is peppered with bland tidbits of dubious "Oriental" wisdom. Most of Kung Pow's attacks are named after Chinese food (like Egg foo young, Chop Suey, etc.), and he uses utensils such as chopsticks, woks and meat cleavers as weapons. Many of his attacks are parodies of Dan Hibiki, who is himself a parody of SNK and other Street Fighter characters. His name is most likely a parody of Kung Lao from Mortal Kombat.
Houngan (voiced by Jim Cummings)
An evil Jamaican witch doctor and master of voodoo, Happy Harry Houngan has a sinister set of abilities to aid his quest of conquering the world with his black magic. Houngan's main weapon is his rubber chicken, which he has transformed into a zombie. Houngan also sports a juju staff, and a wooden tiki mask to use as a bludgeon (or a snowboard). Some of his attacks cause rotting zombie hands to reach out of the ground and grab his opponent.
T-Hoppy (voiced by Charles Adler)
A cyborg rabbit, T-Hoppy was created as a living weapon by Doctor Kiln (by combining the formerly-good warrior rabbit Hoppy from Clayfighter 2 with mechanical implants) until he rebelled against his creator. Now T-Hoppy fights to destroy the evil scientist who created him and find some purpose in his life. In addition to great physical strength and cybernetic implants, T-Hoppy is also an accomplished stage magician. In ClayFighter 2, Hoppy had an Austrian accent, poking fun at Arnold Schwarzenegger, and the T in his name refers to Arnold's role as The Terminator, but Adler chose to go with a generic "drill sergeant"-style voice. Hoppy is also the only new character from C2 Judgement Clay to return, all of the other 4 were cut.
Taffy (voiced by Tress MacNeille)
A former circus freak and partner of Bonker, Taffy is a bizarre creature made entirely out of, fittingly enough, taffy. This gives him incredible flexibility and agility. Taffy also carries gumballs as throwing weapons and carries a pair of six-shooters for some reason. He frequently imitates Curly Howard of The Three Stooges, especially Curly's "Oh, a wise guy, eh?" line. This vocal similarity was more noticeable in the original Clayfighter, where Taffy originated.
Earthworm Jim (voiced by Dan Castellaneta)
The mightiest worm in all creation, Earthworm Jim is vacationing on Claymodo Island when he hears of Doctor Kiln's mad scheme. Never one to let evil have its way, Jim springs into action, showcasing all the head-whipping, raygun-blasting, cow-dropping action his fans love. He's a guest character from his own series of games and Dan Castellaneta reprises his role from the cartoon series.
Ickybod Clay (voiced by Frank Welker)
Ickybod Clay is a withered ghoul with a mushy Jack O'Lantern for a head. Icky resides in his own haunted mansion, although his squeaky voice and rather geeky personality do not make him the terrifying fiend he aspires to be. Among his many attacks, he can throw his own head as a weapon, has a parody shoryuuken called the Boo-Hoo Ken, and can teleport. He also appeared in the original ClayFighter, but with a more whispery and creepy voice.
Sumo Santa (voiced by Jim Cummings)
An evil duplicate of Santa Claus (in fact, the game implies that he is Santa Claus) clad in little more than a loincloth. Megalomaniacal Sumo Santa has conquered the North Pole as his own, and only Frosty stands in his way. Grotesquely obese but surprisingly agile, Sumo Santa enjoys using his ponderous girth to smash the competition flat.
Doctor Kiln (voiced by Charles Adler)
Dr. Kiln is the main villain of the piece. After being indirectly responsible for the chaos in Clayfighter 2 (he's mentioned in the Clayfighter 2 manual, but doesn't appear in the game itself), his latest scheme is to transform the entire world into clay, which he can then mold into whatever he wishes. After accidentally dipping his hand into the giant clay meteor, Dr. Kiln was forced to amputate his hand, which he replaced with a mechanical prosthetic. This new hand can transform into a propeller, a machine gun, a chainsaw, jumper cables, a scalpel, and other dangerous weapons. Meanwhile, his lost hand grew, gained sentience, and became High Five, a hidden character in Sculptor's Cut. With his opaque eyeglasses, hunched back and thick Germanic accent, Dr. Kiln is very much the consummate mad scientist.
Boogerman (voiced by Dan Castellaneta)
Another hero from previous Interplay games, Boogerman joins the fracas to save the day and show up his old rival Earthworm Jim. Boogerman uses bodily emissions such as mucus, belches, and explosive flatulence against his foes. He can also summon a barrage of falling toilets.
- ClayFighter 63 1/3 is something of a reunion of voice actors who worked on the animated series Animaniacs:
- Jim Cummings (Some narration and character voices)
- Jess Harnell (Wakko Warner)
- Tress MacNeille (Dot Warner, Hello Nurse, Marita Hippo)
- Rob Paulsen (Yakko Warner, Pinky, Dr. Scratchensniff)
- Frank Welker (Ralph the Guard, Mr. Plotz, Buttons, Runt, Flavio Hippo, Chicken Boo)
[edit] ClayFighter 63 1/3: Sculptor's Cut
Interplay later updated ClayFighter 63 1/3 with ClayFighter 63 1/3: Sculptor's Cut, which was released as a Blockbuster Video rental exclusive and contains a number of characters that had missed the deadline for the original release. In doing so, they also removed the Killer Instinct-like combo system, and while all the characters from 63 1/3 remained, Interplay removed many of the original characters' special and super attacks (presumably due to memory limitations).
Characters exclusive to the Sculptor's Cut:
Lady Liberty (voiced by Tress MacNeille)
The Statue of Liberty transformed by Dr. Kiln into a living clay creature. Like T-Hoppy, Lady Liberty turned on her creator and seeks to destroy him. Lady Liberty's main weapon is her famous torch, which can be used as a flamethrower.
High Five (voiced by Tress MacNeille)
Dr. Kiln's severed hand, mutated by chemicals and transformed into a sentient being. High Five has a deep resentment for his former host, and despite his physical limitations, is a skilled "hand-to-hand combatant". In terms of gameplay, High Five appears to be unfinished, since he has no ducking Brutal Kick, only one super attack, and no Claytalities.
Lockjaw Pooch (voiced by Frank Welker)
Although marked as killed in the production of the original Clayfighter 63 1/3 ("This animal was severely injured during the making of this game"), Lockjaw returns to ravage the competition in the Sculptor's Cut. A vicious junkyard dog granted sentience by Dr. Kiln's experiments, the ever-loyal Lockjaw puts his powerful fangs to good use in battle.
Zappa Yow Yow Boyz (voiced by Frank Welker)
Three little pygmy brothers who are the bane of Houngan's existence. Although short and squat, the Boyz are a force to be reckoned with when they climb onto each other's shoulders for battle, as well as summoning their pet goat. The Boyz are cannibalistic, and enjoy tossing defeated opponents into a boiling kettle for dinner.
In addition, there is a character designed for both versions of the game but was left out: Hobo Cop (A pun on RoboCop.). Hobo Cop was a homeless drunk who considered himself a vigilante, staggering into battle with armor made from trash cans. The character was ultimately decreed as too offensive and was disposed of.
[edit] ClayFighter X-Treme
ClayFighter X-Treme was to be released for the Sony Playstation at the same time as ClayFighter 63 1/3 on the Nintendo 64. The PlayStation version was eventually cancelled for being behind schedule. According to GameSpot, both versions were derived from a planned ClayFighter 3 on the cancelled Matsushita M2 console. [1]
