The game’s atmosphere is a lot darker than the original’s, but the humor remains largely intact. There are plenty of digitalized in-game battle cries. From Earthworm Jim’s "Eat Cow!" to Voodoist Happy Harry Houndan’s "Cluck You!" to Kung-Pow’s "Pooh-pooh Platter!" the game’s sounds are actually pretty funny. Some of the best voice effects are the combo announcements. It’s pretty funny to score 8 hits in a row and have the announcer shout "Little Girlie Combo!" The game’s voice effects do get really repetitive after awhile, but initially they add to the on-screen action.

Clay Fighter 63 1/3 is rated Teen (ages 13+), and frankly I’m not really sure why. My best guess is that it’s due to the potty humor that’s a regular occurrence. With characters like the infamous Boogerman, it’s easy to see why some parents wouldn’t want younger children to play. However, I didn’t hear or see anything worse than what I remember hearing on the grade-school playground. I also didn’t spot any blood or gore (it’s all cartoon violence), so the T rating may be a bit overboard.

Clay Fighter’s graphics are disappointing. The character animation is very choppy, and the game backgrounds are overly dark, diminishing the authentic claymation look of the original. Nonetheless, the numerous 3-D backgrounds move smoothly and create a slight feeling of depth behind the 2D characters. The ability to fight your way through a door of one arena and into another is also a nice touch.

As for the gameplay, it’s as standard as they come. The controls are set up the same as Killer Instinct’s, and the gameplay is similar (although the combo system is less complicated). This wouldn’t be a big problem, except for the fact that the entire genre of 2D fighters has been done and redone so many times that it’s hard to get excited about a new one that uses the same formula yet again. Clay Fighter 63 1/3 doesn’t offer any new gameplay, and because of that veterans of 2D fighters probably won’t find the game too enjoyable. It’s also not very difficult. I was able to finish the game on the "Cookie," "Normal" and "Whoa" difficulties without a problem.

Putting the gameplay’s flaws aside, Clay Fighter 63 1/3’s light-hearted atmosphere is a nice change from the doom and gloom of most 2D fighters. It was actually refreshing enough that I found it worth the cost of my rental. It’s good for a few laughs, and it's fun to play around with for a while. It’s by no means the cream of the crop, but if Clay Fighter 63 1/3 is the only game on the shelf the next time you visit the video store, I don’t think you’ll regret giving it a rental.