Dear 2009 Independent Games Festival: when your finalists are games that have not been released, do not have a demo, and do not even have a trailer, it makes it very hard to debate the merits or otherwise of your selection.Cletus Clay apparently explores the age-old conflict between hillbillies and aliens, in the form of some kind of 2D platforming game. Says creator and lead artist Anthony Flack: "If you're looking for the kind of game where you get to throw a pig at a flying saucer, then this is exactly that sort of game."
The whole thing is done in claymation - actual claymation, not that CGI-which-looks-like-claymation rubbish - and it gives off a vibe a little something like Contra meets Earthworm Jim. It's to be released on XBox Live Arcade and PC once done, doubtless to rounds of hearty applause.
... I'm really reaching here. Flack and his buddies at TunaSnax seem like a swell bunch of dudes but as far as actual content that I can meaningfully access it may as well be Duke Nukem Forever. I'm sure it'll be great and all, but for now you'll just have to accept that any game which makes it into the IGF 2009 Finalists must be pretty darned okay.
UPDATE: I've been pointed to some YouTube footage of the game in action - y'all should check it out..
2 comments:
Hey Greg, the IGF has a bit of a tradition of this sort of thing. It's quite unique in that respect, for better or wose.
As for Cletus Clay, Anthony was working in Japan for several years and could only work on it for short periods of time. He returned to New Zealand in the summer of 2008 to work on Cletus full time.
A small team of us have been working on a new console based Cletus because his original work, which was well progressed, was in Blitz Basic (PC only).
Releasing the Blitz Basic demo wouldn't be doing the new version justice, but we do hope to release video footage before GDC. You'll also be able to play it at the IGF stand at the event.
Still, we have joked here about whether Cletus will be out before Duke Nukem Forever too :)
Do you have a release date for it?
In my imagination DNF already came out, I played it, gave it a scathing review, and then forgot about it. This happened in 1999. Stop living in the past, man.
Seriously, thanks for the info, though. And the post's been updated with some of the footage you drew my attention to.
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