TOMASI & BERTRAM INVITE YOU TO THE 'HOUSE OF PENANCE'

A story about guilt, ghosts, and guns! This spring, Dark Horse Comics is set to publish a historical tale of horror from New York Times best-selling author Peter Tomasi (Batman and Robin, Green Lantern) and artist Ian Bertram (Bowery Boys). House of Penance is a horrific take on the true story of the Winchester haunted house and one woman’s mission to wash away the blood curse of the Winchester rifle that threatens to claim her own life and soul.

The Winchester house is famous for its original owner’s bizarre compulsion to incorporate in it a multitude of architectural curiosities. But as the bereaved Sarah Winchester’s workers toil on stairways to nothing and doors to nowhere, a mysterious stranger arrives . . . and he could make Sarah’s demons all too real.

"The journey that Sarah makes while building the house is intense and scary, and all the horrible things that put her there are going to be revealed during the course of the six issues along with the story of Peck, the gunfighter who goes looking for absolution under the strangest roof he could ever stumble upon," said Peter Tomasi in an exclusive interview with Entertainment Weekly.

In this House of Leaves meets Blood Meridian tale of how fortune brings misfortune, a grim and determined woman oversees the construction of a house twenty-four hours a day for twenty years with a simple motto: “keep busy building or get busy dying.”

House of Penance #1 (of 6) is in stores April 13, 2016. Preorder your copy today at your local comic shop!

Post by Vikki

Twitter: ProfessorWhite
Facebook: Fangirl Review

Nintendo Brings New amiibo Figures and Functionality to Games in Early 2016

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD Launches with a Wolf Link amiibo. The Nintendo games launching in the first part of the year are going to include some fun amiibo functionality. Games like The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD for the Wii U console and Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games™ for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, both launching in March, use a wide variety of different compatible amiibo figures. Some new amiibo figures will also launch in March, including the legendary Wolf Link amiibo that is included in every physical version of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD, as well as three new figures in the Animal Crossing amiibo series, featuring fan-favorite characters like Timmy & Tommy, Kapp’n and Rover. The previously announced Ryu, Roy and R.O.B. (Famicom Colors) amiibo figures will also launch in March.

“New amiibo figures and functionality will keep surprising fans in 2016,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s Executive Vice President of Sales & Marketing. “All the upcoming amiibo prove that the must-have figures are continuing to evolve in unexpected and fun ways.”

When the physical version of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD launches on March 4 at a suggested retail price of $59.99, it will include a beautiful Wolf Link amiibo figure based on the same character from the classic game. Purchasing The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD and Wolf Link amiibo bundle will currently be the only way to get this amiibo figure. When tapped to the Wii U GamePad controller, this legendary lupine opens the Cave of Shadows, a challenging new bonus dungeon in the game. After completing the Cave of Shadows, players can save their remaining hearts to the Wolf Link amiibo, and then use those hearts inside the Cave of Shadows to replenish life energy. After conquering the cave, players can save a record of their remaining hearts to the Wolf Link amiibo and attempt to beat their score at any time. Some of the data stored on the Wolf Link amiibo figure can also be used with The Legend of Zelda game for Wii U, which launches this year. More details about this functionality will be revealed in the future.

In addition to the Wolf Link amiibo, other amiibo figures in the Super Smash Bros.series like Link, Toon Link, Zelda, Sheik and Ganondorf will work with The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD. By tapping the Link or Toon Link amiibo, players can replenish their arrows. Tapping Zelda or Sheik will refill the player’s hearts, while, in a devious twist, tapping the Ganondorf figure will actually make Link take double the damage!

On March 18, new amiibo figures in the Animal Crossing series will launch in stores, including characters like Timmy & Tommy, Kapp’n and Rover. Digby will also be made available as a stand-alone amiibo. The next series of Animal Crossing amiibo cards also launches in March, bringing the grand total of available amiibo cards to be used in games like Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival for Wii U and Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer for Nintendo 3DS to a whopping 300. Let the collecting begin!

Fans who are ready to compete in Rio de Janeiro with Mario, Sonic and the gang in Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games will also have to warm up their amiibo-tapping fingers. When the action-filled game launches for Nintendo 3DS on March 18 at a suggested retail price of $39.99, both Mario and Sonic amiibo figures will be compatible*. By tapping the Mario or Sonic amiibo figures to the New Nintendo 3DS system (or on a Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo 3DS XL or Nintendo 2DS system using the NFC Reader/Writer accessory), players can boost Mario and Sonic’s outfits with that character’s power for the day.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Pokémon, some of the Pokémon amiibo will be made available again at select retailers. Fans should be on the lookout for Charizard, Jigglypuff, Greninja and Lucario to once again return to shelves right next to Pikachu.

Finally, Star Fox Zero delivers a new beginning for the classic shooter series. With a unique control scheme that uses both the TV screen and the screen on the GamePad, players pilot multiple vehicles through intergalactic levels with Fox and his classic crew. The game launches exclusively for Wii U on April 22 and will feature amiibo compatibility. More details will be revealed at a later time.

For more information about amiibo, visit http://www.nintendo.com/amiibo.

Post by Vikki
Twitter: ProfessorWhite
Facebook: Fangirl Review

Here’s What’s in Store for Xbox One Backward Compatibility

Fan feedback has been essential in making Xbox One Backward Compatibility a reality, and Xbox will continue to listen. Based on fan feedback, the Xbox Engineering team will start to pilot a new way to launch Xbox One Backward Compatibility titles. Starting now, Xbox will release titles as they become available, rather than a set monthly launch date.

Xbox is also excited to unveil even more Xbox 360 titles available now on Xbox One. The latest list of new titles has been copied below. For more details on how we’re approaching all things Xbox One Backward Compatibility, please see the Xbox Wire post here.

Titles

• · The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings
• · Sam & Max Save the World
• · Aegis Wing
• · Counter-Strike: GO
• · Age of Booty
• · Space Giraffe
• · Soulcalibur
• · Skullgirls
• · Jeremy McGrath’s Offroad
• · Small Arms

Post by Vikki
Twitter: ProfessorWhite
Facebook: Fangirl Review

HITMAN Now a Fully Episodic AAA Game

Launch Set for March 11. Io-Interactive released further details for HITMAN™ which launches on March 11th for the PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One, the all-in-one games and entertainment system from Microsoft, and Windows PC. A change to the release structure, sees HITMAN become a truly episodic AAA game experience, with a major live component. Where players will perform contract hits on powerful, high-profile targets in exotic locations around the world.

Starting with a Prologue Mission and a Paris location on March 11th, followed by the next location, set in Italy releasing in April and then Morocco releasing in May. From there HITMAN will deliver regular monthly content updates, including three additional locations; Thailand, the US and Japan until the season concludes in Japan later in 2016. With weekly live events and additional planned content in between the monthly updates.

“We decided to take the full leap and publish HITMAN as a truly episodic game experience,” said Hannes Seifert, Head of Studio at Io-Interactive. “Part of that decision is for that little bit of extra time to ensure every location we release is at the quality level fitting for a HITMAN game. But the main driving reason is that this will allow us to create a living game that will expand and evolve over time and establish a foundation for the future – this is the first game in a storyline which will continue and expand with future Hitman games.”

A new Intro Pack now contains Prologue and Paris levels and will release at the new price of $15 (or local equivalent). Each subsequent location will be priced at $10 as an add-on item to the Intro Pack*. Alternatively, players can buy the Full Experience up front for $60. This includes all of this year’s content as it’s released, and guarantees them not to miss any live or bonus content.

The disc version of HITMAN will ship at the end of 2016. PlayStation users will also gain access to The Sarajevo Six. 6 Bonus Contracts, one of which will be released with each location and sees Agent 47 travel the world in pursuit of six former members of a paramilitary unit called CICADA in this self-contained side-story exclusive for PlayStation 4 users.

For players wanting to get into the game early, the HITMAN beta starts on February 12th on PlayStation 4 and February 19th on PC. Players can guarantee access to the beta by pre-ordering the Full Experience or the new Intro Pack.

* If players buy the Intro Pack but then want to get into everything the Full Experience offers, they can also choose to buy the Upgrade Pack for $50.

Post by Vikki

Twitter: ProfessorWhite
Facebook: Fangirl Review

Kim Jung Gi variant covers coming in February to DC!

Do you love DC Trinity artwork? Kim Jung Gi designed a triptych variant cover spanning Wonder Woman #49, Superman/Wonder Woman #26, and Justice League: Darkseid War Special #1. Take a look at Wonder Woman, Batman and Superman in action with all three covers together. Let @KimJungGiUS (and @DCComics) know what you think! The three covers arrive at your local comic book shop in February!

Post by Vikki
Twitter: ProfessorWhite
Facebook: Fangirl Review

BLACK ROAD LEADS READERS DOWN A DARK PATH

An all-new series from Brian Wood and Garry Brown. Bestselling writer Brian Wood (STARVE, Northlanders) and artists Gary Brown (The Massive, Catwoman) and Dave McCaig (Batman, American Vampire) team up for the all-new, ongoing Viking tale in BLACK ROAD, which was first announced during last year’s Image Expo and will be launching from Image Comics this April.

In BLACK ROAD #1, readers meet Magnus the Black—neither clean nor sober, neither Christian nor Pagan—but a man true to his word. When a ranking official under his care is brutally murdered, he’s prepared to hunt the killers to the frozen tip of Norway, religious war be damned.

“With Northlanders I went strictly historical,” said Wood. “But here we’re creating this almost heightened take on the Viking times, where Christian conversion was more like a military occupation, with churches dotting the landscape like green zones and there’s this highway of death heading forever northwards…. this is the Black Road. Anything, and everything, can happen on the cold road north.”

Wood first described Magnus The Black at Image Expo, calling him “a creaky fellow who suffers the boot of daily life but shows his steel where and when it counts.” But Wood later added onto the character’s description: “[He’s] a skeptic of the highest sort but operating with a very strong personal moral code. He’s suffered tremendously in his life, but keeps moving forward, keeps pushing on like an inexorable force of nature.”

“It's been a thrill to work on the book,” said Brown. “Drawing the environments and characters has been really rewarding. Plus working with Brian on a grim Viking book has been excellent. I'm excited for it to hit the stands.”

BLACK ROAD #1 will hit comic book stores on Wednesday, April 13th. 

Post by Vikki

Twitter: ProfessorWhite
Facebook: Fangirl Review