While Interplay’s Clayfighter might not have been the best fighting game of the SNES days, it was certainly the most creative and original. At the least, it’s art style put it head and shoulders above other SFII rip offs. It also had a pretty creative ad campaign, which parodied other fighting games. When a meteor made of clay lands on in a circus, the clay infects the circus employees, transforming them into strange clay creatures based on their own personalities. Among them are an Elvis impersonator, an evil snowman, an blob of clay that can change its shape, and Helga, an opera singer. The animation style is unique, and the action will keep you in stitches. A “Tournament edition” was released, which fixed many of the game’s glitches and added some new play modes. There were a number of sequels released, and a DSIware/Wiiware revival has been planned. The game is available on Virtual Console. It may not be Street Fighter, but it will keep you in stitches the whole time you play it.

Created by Finland development studio Rovio Interactive, Angry Birds is undoubtedly last year’s Plants vs Zombies. That is, a game developed for casual audiences that gets over with mainstream gamers, finding intensive success, to the point of becoming a pop culture icon. Why are these birds so angry? Simple. Green-skinned pigs have stolen their eggs, so now the birds are ready to cause some serious damage to get their revenge. By controlling their slingshot, you launch the birds at huge wooden structures in an attempt to destroy the pigs within. When you complete a level, you gain extra points for eac unused bird and each part of the structure that’s destroyed. As you progress in the game, you get to use birds with different abilities. This is available on Iphone OS and Android (2.1 and up), but the company is seeking to bring it to PSP, Xbox Live Arcade, Wii, Windows Phone 7, and PC. There are also two stand alone spinoffs. Angry Birds Seasons, which contains holiday-themed levels, and Angry Birds Rio, a free entry based on the upcoming film of the same name which sees players trying to free birds who have been kidnapped by poachers. There are also plans for a TV show and movie based on this new franchise. Angry birds is proof that independent games are becoming bigger than ever, and can even give mainstream games a run for their money. It’s only a dollar, so check it out.

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