Matt Hazard is going back in time to protect what matters most - his own 8-bit self.

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.

Dexter Dare

Dexter got his start in one of Matt Hazard’s games in the mid-90s (Matt Hazard Must Die!) as a character who saved Matt from certain doom. He was so popular that Marathon Software made him Matt’s permanent sidekick in the Matt and Dexter series of platforming shooters.

Although initially grateful for the opportunity to share the spotlight with a gaming legend like Matt, Dexter soon began to harbor a great deal of resentment toward his mentor. He also developed a crush on Matt’s then-girlfriend, Kitty Abundanza, and resented Matt all the more for being so successful with the ladies.

All of this led a to a Mana abuse problem that ended the partnership and put his career on the rocks. He disappeared from the gaming scene and retired to his palatial virtual estate, where he assuaged his loneliness by building an army of female robots, all of whom were modeled to look like Kitty. (Despite his many difficulties, Dexter was always quite good with money.)

Dexter spent years blaming Matt for all of his personal problems and knowing deep inside that he, Dexter, could surpass Matt as the best action hero in games if given the chance. So, when Wally Wellesley offered him a starring role in a next-gen action title in exchange for destroying Matt, he jumped at the opportunity to exact revenge and become the hero he always wanted to be.

After Matt spares Dexter’s life—in spite of the fact that Dexter tried to kill Matt—Dexter’s life turned around. He kicked the Mana habit and resumed his friendship with Matt. Although his bitterness at being a sidekick for the rest of his life still comes out from time to time, Dexter is always ready to do some serious ass-kicking when the need arises.

General Neutronov, one of Matt’s nemeses has reactivated all of Hazard’s greatest enemies from classics like Matt’s original adventure, The Adventures of Matt in Hazard Land and Chest of the Pirate Queen in an attempt to destroy Matt’s former self in the past and end his present.  Matt has no time for a leisurely stroll down memory lane in Blood Bath and Beyond as he chases Neutronov through the games of the past in order to save his future.

Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond is a flood of carnage that the classic 8-bit side-scroller era didn’t want gamers to see.  Recreated today with next-gen 3D graphics, it’s nonstop run-and-gun action at its finest.  Take a suspenseful ride in single player or co-op through a pirate hideout, an ancient Japanese castle, the Old West, Siberian ice mines, and even the moon and relive some of the most classic and violent moments in Matt Hazard’s videogame history.

Matt Hazard: Blood Bath and Beyond will be available at 1200 Microsoft points ($15.00) on XBLA, and a standard price of $14.99 on PSN.