Want some Rock Cocks info? Leslie's gotten the first two pages already penciled. All they need is some inking and touching up and they're done. We really want to be able to make these Rock Cocks pages as fast as possible without having to rush ourselves for deadline, so we decided to keep them in black and white with screentones. Certainly less colorful, but coloring takes fucking FOREVEERRR so we'll be able to pump out pages much faster. If you want a sample of how the pages will look, why not check the example below? Awhile back, Leslie took the first page of the Rock Cocks Slipshine page and retouched it to how it will appear for the main comic. Warning, nudity and such.

 

 

Honestly, it's really tempting to switch Blaster Nation to black and white. We'd be able to make pages faster like I said, but I think the jump would be really jarring and would upset some people, so it'll probably never happen. Besides, color looks nice! 

 

Finally got to play some indie games I've been wanting to try out, specifically Retro City Rampage and Hotline Miami. Was super psyched about RCR, but more skeptical about Hotline Miami. I had followed RCR for quite some time now, but when I finally got to play it...I dunno, not everything clicked for me. I thought the sheer overwhelming 80s flashback vibe would be great, but god damn, the game just throws SO MANY references at you. I know it's part of the game's theme, but damn, couldn't it have been done in a funnier way? Don't get me wrong, some moments are truly fucking hilarious, but damn man, did you really have to interrupt a Smash TV level to shove a one-line cameo of Phil Fish in there? The main character is pretty funny himself, but couldn't there have been, I dunno, ANY other original characters that aren't blatant parodies? I know the whole thing is a parody, I get that, but when the sidekick is Doc Brown and the main villain is Dr. Robotnik, it just seems...I dunno...stupid, I guess? And seriously, throwing in "You mad, bro?" There's a way to handle this kind of humor, and while it succeeded fairly often, it also got incredibly obnoxious. Also, the rants about evil corporations suckering indie game designers were incredibly ham-fisted. Still a fun game on its own, but boy did the writing bother me at times.

 

So yeah, was hyped for Retro City Rampage but left it a little disappointed. Hotline Miami, I was interested in, but went in thinking it was just going to be some tryhard edgy indie garbage cashing in on pixel violence. And yeah, pixel violence was a huge point to that, and all I'll admit that the art still kind of gives off the impression. But damn, did I end up loving it. While the art-style is a little on the shittier side, the game has this amazing neon 80s aesthetic that just fits so well with the violence and music. And fuck, my god man, the music is so good. I ripped a lot on RCR for being a parody without much originality on its own, but RCR, though drawing a lot of inspiration from killer7 and 80s gangster movies, just feels so incredibly original on its own. Hell, it really was everything killer7 should have been. The story, while not exactly told in the best way possible, is still shown in a very interesting manner that keeps you wanting more. The main problem is that it's incredibly short. Beat the entire thing 100% in a couple of hours. But free missions are being added in through DLC and a level editor is rumored to be in the works, and that'll keep me playing for years. Hell, even after doing everything in the game, I still want to go back and replay it just to try even MORE shit. That's the mark of a damn good game, people.

 

Alright, this blog has gone on long enough. See you on Sunday! And stay tuned to Two Guys and Guy, because our guest comic should show up there by the time our next comic is up!