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Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)

common sense media says

Funny spoof of game industry falls flat during play.

parents & educators say
See all 13 reviews | Review it

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.

Educational value: Not applicable.
Positive messages: Matt Hazard is a video game hero who sold out his image for money. One of the first bosses in the game is ripped straight out of the Blaxploitation era of movie making, and the game makes liberal use of stereotypes within the game such as the evil Russian leader hell bent on destroying the world.
Violence: This is a third-person shooter first and foremost, so characters use all sorts of weapons, ranging from shotguns and hand guns to water pistols. No blood or gore is in the game because the game knows it's a game, and thus characters disappear and explode into bits of computer code rather than blood and guts.
Sex: A lead female character appears onscreen showing some cleavage. Some adult related jokes are said by the characters, but punch lines with explicit words are cut short with additional self-referential humor.
Language: Some jokes do make reference to adult themes, but where one would expect an explicit word, it's not used and the blank spot is left up to the imagination. You will hear some salty language including "bitch" and "asshole."
Consumerism: Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not applicable.
Our ratings and reviews are informed by child development guidelines. Learn more.

More on Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard

What to talk about

Talk to your kids
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?

What's the story?

What's the story?

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?

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.

Game themes & details

Game Details
Available on: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Not available online
Genre: Third-person shooter
Developer: D3Publisher of America
Released on: March 3, 2009
Price: 49.99
ESRB Rating: T for Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence
This review was written by Jeff Paramchuk
 
 

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kid, 12 years old
10
 
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
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was this review useful?
helped me decide (4) | had useful details (2) | read my mind (4)

teen, 14 years old
10
 
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
Flag as inappropriate 
was this review useful?
helped me decide (4) | had useful details (2) | read my mind (4)

kid, 11 years old
10
 
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
Flag as inappropriate 
was this review useful?
helped me decide (4) | had useful details (2) | read my mind (4)

kid, 12 years old
10
 
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
Flag as inappropriate 
was this review useful?
helped me decide (1) | had useful details (3) | read my mind (4)

teen, 14 years old
10
 
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
Flag as inappropriate 
was this review useful?
helped me decide (1) | had useful details (3) | read my mind (4)

kid, 11 years old
10
 
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
Flag as inappropriate 
was this review useful?
helped me decide (1) | had useful details (3) | read my mind (4)

kid, 12 years old
10
 
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
Flag as inappropriate 
was this review useful?
helped me decide (3) | had useful details (2) | read my mind (2)

teen, 14 years old
10
 
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
Flag as inappropriate 
was this review useful?
helped me decide (3) | had useful details (2) | read my mind (2)

kid, 11 years old
10
 
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
Flag as inappropriate 
was this review useful?
helped me decide (3) | had useful details (2) | read my mind (2)

kid, 12 years old
10
 
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
Flag as inappropriate 
was this review useful?
helped me decide (3) | had useful details (2) | read my mind (2)

teen, 14 years old
10
 
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
Flag as inappropriate 
was this review useful?
helped me decide (3) | had useful details (2) | read my mind (2)

kid, 11 years old
10
 
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
Flag as inappropriate 
was this review useful?
helped me decide (3) | had useful details (2) | read my mind (2)
CptDrake
kid, 12 years old
11
 
funny, a little hard. ok for tweens
Very funny and kind of hard game. Although it is at times frustrating the gameplay is fun and the references to the gaming industry are very funny!
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