Almost everything about Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard would be decried as generic by the informed gaming public... and they would be half-right. The graphics are bland, blurry, cliché, and sometimes pixilated, but it is supposed to be. How would a Wolfenstein style level look like it was straight from the '90s if it didn't have swatches of fluorescent greens, purples, and reds? The entire thought process behind Eat Lead preys upon identifying genre conventions and satirizing them to the point of absurdity. The main character, Matt Hazard, looks good enough by today's standards. He has enough detail to show subtle nuances in his face and the motion capture does add another level of believability, but it was clear there was more time spent on the writing than making every character stand out.
It is a shame that the audio suffers as much as it does. When Eat Lead: The Return of Matt Hazard is at it's best is when Matt is bantering back and forth between villains or even breaking the fourth wall and talking to the player directly. Matt gets frustrated if he is out of ammo and he is quick to let you know since he says "Ooh. If only there were an ammo counter telling me I'm empty" or "Looks like it is time to switch weapons, genius." The back of the box proudly brags about Will Arnett and Neil Patrick Harris as major characters. Will Arnett's nailed his performance as Matt Hazard. It's great and gives him a more identifiable quality. On the other hand, Neil Patrick Harris plays Wally Wellesley, the CEO of Marathon MegaSoft, the company that makes all of the Matt Hazard games, but he isn't nearly as funny as Will Arnett, just obnoxious.
Apparently the developers didn't know that voice talent isn't the only thing that needs to stand out, because the sound effects and music didn't receive nearly the same level of attention. The guns sound like firecrackers instead of meaty firearms and the accompanying soundtrack is full of generic guitar riffs, so at the very least, it sounds as good as a cheesy action movie.
