Probably the most unappreciated game of all time.
ClayFighter is in my own opinion one of the greatest fighting games ever made. I spent many hours playing this game with friends when i was younger and still enjoy it to this day. When I saw that Gamespot only gave this game a 3.1 I had to throw in my $.02
GAMEPLAY The gameplay in Clayfighter was never extremely original, it steals from many classic fighting games. This does not make it bad, in fact it is more fun than most of the games that it steals from. Basically you pick a character and choose to ether play the main single player game or play a friend in multiplayer. Each character has his/her own set of moves and special combos. Learning each players strengths and weaknesses keeps the game fresh and fun. The single player is not very long at all. It could take experienced gamers as little as 20 minutes to finish. Beating the game as each character is where the replay value kicks in. Because each character is so original you will want to play through the game as each one of them. The gameplay runs smoothly and works perfectly. It always feels nice crushing a clay snowman with a goofy clown.
GRAPHICS
Without a doubt one of Clayfighters shinning points. Each character actually looks like it has been sculpted out of clay. Seeing them in motion is a thing of beauty. The levels are pretty nice looking as well. As you smash characters through doors and into pieces objects fly out of them, usually something you could see the character with. These little details really make this a graphically pretty game.
SOUND
There is very little in the way of music in Clayfighter, and if this game has one weakness the sound is where its at. Although the music can get repetitive and boring, the characters one liners never get old. Watching a character whip out a chicken and yell cluck you is unexpected and priceless, and not nearly the funniest saying in the game. VALUE
Despite the overall shortness of the game, there is actually a lot you can get out of it. Play the game each time as a different character never really gets old. Also there are multiple levels to unlock and 4 unique and funny characters worth getting. Also, the multiplayer will make sure your still poppin this game in years after you bought it.
TILT
Clayfighter is, with little doubt in my mind, the worlds most under appreciated game. It is fun to look at and funnier then almost every other game out there, even today. The levels in the game are a very strong point, not only are they creative, many of them actually intertwine with other levels creating one giant level. Many of the levels have multiple sections that are always fun to discover. I don't think this game will ever completely lose its charm. Its sad that such an artistically rich and funny series could be put to death because of all the poor reviews it received.