 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard
- Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
- Price: $49.99
- Genre: Third-person shooter
Common Sense Media says
Funny spoof of game industry falls flat during play.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard is a parody game, and that even though the game talks about previous Matt Hazard titles, there are none. The game is a self-referential spin on the video game genre which tosses in clichés from the past twenty plus years of gaming. While there is violence throughout the game in the form of using guns, there is no blood due to the game-within-the-game conceit where dying is thought of as being permanently deleted.
What's it about?
EAT LEAD: THE RETURN OF MATT HAZARD is a confusing title for a game that marks the first appearance of the title character. But it is the back story of Matt Hazard that propels this humorous adventure through tried and tired gaming conventions. You play as Matt, a video game action hero, who has appeared in numerous games over the years. Now, he is working his way through eight levels of games that he has appeared in before, ranging from takes on current gaming styles such as detective work in the opening level to blasting your way through the blocky two-dimensional world of early 1990s era first-person shooters.
Taking a very tongue-in-cheek look at the gaming industry, the title pokes fun at almost every gaming convention out there, be it in level design, or even the voice work. One boss battle makes fun of the traditionally androgenous look of characters in Japanese role-playing games, and the massive amounts of text that generally accompany those types of games.
Is it any good?
If it wasn't for the outstanding voice work by Will Arnett who voices Matt, and the villain of the game voiced by Neil Patrick Harris, the fun factor would drop dramatically. With a sometimes very frustrating level design (such as the sniper sections on level three or the boss battle with a tentacle beast) it can be easy to see some gamers giving up on the title early on. Small bugs in the game like a movement glitch that keeps Matt moving even when you don't want him too and tricky aiming mechanics also add to the frustration.
The sense of humor within the game saves it from being a not-worth-playing frustrating experience. The question here is: will gamers under the age of 25 really get most of the jokes or references made? It seems this title is best played by older gamers, who will enjoy the references to classic games of long ago, rather than their children.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about videogames through the years. As with other retro styled titles, does Matt Hazard hold any relevance to today's younger gamers? Or is this title purely aimed at adults who've played games their whole lives? Does the parody aspect of the game make things like repeating short musical tracks and old fashioned level design OK? Or should the developers have strived for more?
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Kid, 12 years old
August 13, 2010
AGE
hilarios
though it curses it is real funny like in the second level you get this complicated objective he says could you sum it up then qa says this good and it changes to shoot everthing that moves
Was this review useful?
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AGE
hilarios
though it curses it is real funny like in the second level you get this complicated objective he says could you sum it up then qa says this good and it changes to shoot everthing that moves
Was this review useful?
|
|
Kid, 11 years old
August 13, 2010
AGE
hilarios
though it curses it is real funny like in the second level you get this complicated objective he says could you sum it up then qa says this good and it changes to shoot everthing that moves
Was this review useful?
|
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Kid, 12 years old
August 13, 2010
AGE
hilarios
though it curses it is real funny like in the second level you get this complicated objective he says could you sum it up then qa says this good and it changes to shoot everthing that moves
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
hilarios
though it curses it is real funny like in the second level you get this complicated objective he says could you sum it up then qa says this good and it changes to shoot everthing that moves
Was this review useful?
|
|
Kid, 11 years old
August 13, 2010
AGE
hilarios
though it curses it is real funny like in the second level you get this complicated objective he says could you sum it up then qa says this good and it changes to shoot everthing that moves
Was this review useful?
|
|
Kid, 12 years old
August 13, 2010
AGE
hilarios
though it curses it is real funny like in the second level you get this complicated objective he says could you sum it up then qa says this good and it changes to shoot everthing that moves
Was this review useful?
|
|
AGE
hilarios
though it curses it is real funny like in the second level you get this complicated objective he says could you sum it up then qa says this good and it changes to shoot everthing that moves
Was this review useful?
|
|
Kid, 11 years old
August 13, 2010
AGE
hilarios
though it curses it is real funny like in the second level you get this complicated objective he says could you sum it up then qa says this good and it changes to shoot everthing that moves
Was this review useful?
|
|
Kid, 12 years old
August 13, 2010
AGE
hilarios
though it curses it is real funny like in the second level you get this complicated objective he says could you sum it up then qa says this good and it changes to shoot everthing that moves
Was this review useful?
|
|
| Platforms: | Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 |
| Available online? | Not available online |
| Genre: | Third-person shooter |
| Developer: | D3Publisher of America |
| Release date: | March 3, 2009 |
| Price: | $49.99 |
| ESRB rating: | T for Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence |
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