Matt Hazard returns in Blood Bath and Beyond on PSN, XBLA @ Gaming Target

Written by John Scalzo on October 03, 2009

News: Matt Hazard returns this Winter... for the first time... again!

Back in February, D3 announced that their then-upcoming action game parody Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard would also spawn a retro-styled downloadable PSN and XBLA game starring the titular main character. The game was originally planned for a Summer release and would have used the 8-bit graphics of a "classic" Matt Hazard adventure. Summer came and went and went with no sign of a second Matt Hazard game on the PS3 or Xbox 360. Maybe it was an unforseen delay or maybe it was because of the middling reviews that Eat Lead received when it was eventually released.

But now the game has resurfaced with an official title, Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond, and a "Winter" release date on both the PSN and XBLA.

Also changed is the game's 8-bit aesthetic. While Blood Bath and Beyond (that joke will never get old) will still be a side-scrolling shooter in the style of Contra or Metal Slug, it will feature an enhanced graphical look reminiscent of this Summer's Shadow Complex.

Thankfully, it appears that developer Vicious Cycle is bringing back the self-referential video game humor found in Eat Lead (which was the best part of the game):

Matt Hazard is going back in time to protect what matters most - his own 8-bit self - in the new side-scrolling shooter Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond.

Matt Hazard, the star of renowned videogames like Conflict of the Deities and Haz-Matt Carts, has been a videogame icon for more than two decades. Matt lived on top of the videogame charts for many years until an abrupt retirement brought him down. Now fresh from an epic battle with Wallace Wellesley and the revitalization of his career, Matt has a chip on his shoulder and is ready to tear down General Neutronov and a back catalog of timeless and ageless videogame foes.

We'll have more soon.