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Monster Friday-Djinn-Jinn-Genies

Monster Fridays continues with a very misunderstood one. Genies, Djinn, Jinn. They are all based on the same creature that most people assume takes one of two sides. The Disney, rub a lamp and get three wishes, or the Djinn evil screw you over type. If you want a vast overview, Britannica has a great article to get you going that goes into great depth about its Islamic and pre-Islamic history. I am just here to give a brief rundown of what it is.

Djinn aren’t truly good or evil and are much similar to humans than people think. While humans were believed to be created from the Earth itself, Djinn were created from smokeless fire. They can live and die just the same as humans can and even have the same free will. Djinns, on the other hand, can’t normally be seen and take the shape of trees, animals, or other inanimate objects. This is probably where the myth of rubbing lamps comes from.

This also may be where the confusion of them granting wishes and screwing people over comes from. They do have a massive amount of power and could, in theory, grant wishes if they chose or cause great harm. They would also harm humans who hurt them. Trying to cut down a tree that was actually one of these creatures would probably get you punished; worse, killing one of their children, even by accident, could conceivably cause one to cast a plague on a village.

At the same time, helping one of these that was in trouble could see someone instantly become a king, recover their health, or any number of seemingly great wishes come true, and it is easy to see why they became known for granting wishes.

Djinns are very oddly misunderstood. Some of this is because of Western media and Disney, and some of it is because of time itself just passing. They are still a rather interesting thing. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Frozen Ship (Steam Preview)

I was tossed an early preview version of Frozen Ship by the company. It is a pretty early build, so please don’t take this as a review; it’s more of a this is where the game is at currently.

There are some things I instantly noticed going into it. The translation into the English language isn’t finished. There are a few story elements that are still impossible to read if you don’t speak- well, honestly, I don’t know what language that is. I think it was Russian. All the items and options you can pick were in English, as were all the guides on what to do. I was never lost on what to do, just on why I was doing it. This will definitely be fixed before the Q3 expected launch date.

That being said, if you are familiar with games like The Long Dark, you know how this game is played. This time, you have help, though. You are in charge of a very large machine that is constantly moving. Don’t worry; it is pretty slow. As it moves, you assign jobs to your crew in the morning, and they will search for wood to keep the place warm, find materials to build, cook food, etc.

After this, you can leave the ship and search for things on your own. As you break down boxes, beds, or various other items, time will pass, and your vehicle will move. Don’t lose track of it, or you will eventually freeze to death. Anyone not in the ship by a certain time will be considered lost.

The game has a lot of potential, and the story is also great. The world is ever-changing from the moment you leave the safety of the dying volcano, the last safe haven for your 20 survivors, as you crawl across a frozen wasteland. This preview did nothing for me but make me wish I could play the full game even more. I fell in love with games like The Long Dark and Subnautica years ago, and this will probably be my next obsession. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Static Dread: 15 Nights at the Old Lighthouse Release Date Trailer

Indie publisher Polden has unveiled the official release date trailer for their upcoming horror game Static Dread. The game is set to launch on August 7, 2025.

The new trailer teases the awakening of Cthulhu and offers a chilling glimpse into the game’s unique blend of atmospheric storytelling and bureaucratic gameplay. Drawing inspiration from Papers, Please and No, I’m Not a Human, Static Dread places players in the role of a lone lighthouse keeper navigating moral dilemmas, eldritch mysteries, and the creeping dread of the unknown.

With a strong visual identity and cinematic flair, Static Dread promises an experience where every decision can lead to salvation—or doom.

Drive Thru (2007) Movie Review

Drive Thru, starring Leighton Meester as Mackenzie Carpenter, is not a good movie. It is, however, a competent slasher movie. They didn’t bother getting the simple Spanish right for the town name, though. Blanca Carne, meaning white meat, which should be Carne Blanca, is home to Hella Burger fast food. Their mascot, Horny the Clown, is about to go on a killing spree.

The story is quite simple. Mackenzie’s friends start dying just after her graduation party, and it is up to her to figure out why. She soon discovers, much like in The Nightmare on Elm Street movies, that her parents did some messed up stuff and now the killer is after her and her friends.

The two things this movie does have going for it are the great acting. Larry Joe Cambell playing Detective Crocker is fantastic alongside the star of the film. Larry is a guy you know, even if you don’t know him by name.

Second, and this is important for a slasher horror film, it has some great death scenes. This is honestly all I wanted, and I got it. So feel safe to check this one out if all you want is solid acting and some cool deaths. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Nice Day For Fishing – Release Date

As a longtime fan of Viva La Dirt League, it is great to me. This May 29th seems like a long time from now, but that is the day we can all play Nice Day for Fishing. Enjoy the trailer below and some quick facts about the upcoming title.

Key features:

Explore the enchanting lands of Azerim

Journey from Honeywood Forest to the Azerim coast, where you’ll be tasked with quests fit for an Adventurer, meet characters straight from the Epic NPC Man series, and find new fish to catch.

Epic RPG fishing battles

Engage in fearless fishing battles to increase your strength and unlock spells to use against your aquatic adversaries.

Engage in the Ultimate Hero Experience

His rod is his weapon; his boat is his steed, and his hat is his armour. Every Adventurer deserves powerful tools for their quest! Rebuild Honeywood from materials dredged up from the seas and unlock merchants to upgrade your gear.

Complete your fishing collection

Prove yourself worthy to the mighty fishing God by offering completed collections from each region at his statue and receive your blessings of powerful spells.

MegaDrive/Genesis Cartridge – Farming Simulator 16-Bit Edition

Every so often, I get to bring my collector friends a bit of good news, and as a long-time fan of the Farming Simulator series, this one is super exciting to bring you. Strictly Limited Games and Giant Software are bringing you a 16-bit Sega Genesis/Mega Drive Version of Farming Simulator 22. No, this is not a way to late April Fools’ Day gag. The store link is right here. Farming Simulator 16-bit Edition Enjoy the trailer below along with even more details.

This unique retro adaptation of Farming Simulator will be available in two collectible formats: a Limited Edition, launching on May 14, 2025, and a Deluxe Edition, arriving in July 2025. Both editions will be available exclusively through the Strictly Limited Store. Each Strictly Limited edition will include an exclusive green cartridge, produced in a total quantity of only 1,000 units worldwide. The green cartridge is unique to the Strictly Limited Store and will not be available elsewhere, making it a highly sought-after item for collectors. The Limited Edition will retail at €49.99, while the Deluxe Edition—which includes additional collectible content—will be priced at €69.99.

In addition to the Strictly Limited store exclusive editions, a separate edition featuring a black cartridge will be made available by Strictly Limited to select retail partners such as Amazon for the global market and VideoGamesPlus in North America. While the content of the game remains the same, the cartridge color and packaging will clearly distinguish the retail version from the Strictly Limited exclusive editions.

A rare opportunity awaits retro gaming enthusiasts and fans of the Farming Simulator series to experience the franchise in a fresh format, reimagined with the authentic feel of classic 16-bit gameplay. Both editions are fully compatible with Mega Drive/Genesis-like retro hardware and reflect Strictly Limited’s ongoing commitment to preserving and celebrating gaming culture through high-quality physical releases.

Monster Friday -The Squonk

Welcome back to Monster Friday,today’s monster is The Squonk. The Squonk is a strange one, as it is basically the ugliest thing imaginable. It is said to be covered in warts with skin that is way too big for itself. As such it is wrinkly.

Worse,it knows it is ugly so it is constantly crying. The Squonk is said to be nocturnal by nature specifically because it doesn’t want to be seen so much so that it avoids water so it won’t see its own reflection.

Like many such creatures it even has a built in mechanism as to why one has never been captured. This one turns into a puddle of tears when scared or cornered. Which is pretty handy I must admit. This seems pretty implausible to me but there is an entire festival dedicated to it in Johnstown PA in August. They usually have a lot of cool shirts at least. Best wishes,and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Varied chess-based puzzle game collection Chessarama coming to Switch and PlayStation April 17th

Developer Minimol Games in partnership with SMG Studio are pleased to announce that Chessarama, their unique anthology of original chess-inspired puzzle games, is coming to Switch and PlayStation platforms. Prepare to reimagine chess as you never have before, with eight single-player variations of the classic board game that will force veteran chess aficionados to rewire their brains while also training new players to think like a chess master!

Chessarama is a smorgasbord of chess-inspired single-player games that use chess pieces and their established move sets, then reimagines their goals and themes. Choose a game, quickly learn its rules and play through the campaign, unlock collectibles, and compete against each other on the leaderboards. Endless replayability awaits you. Welcome to Chessarama!

Each game has its own theme, set of rules and original handcrafted levels for you to play! In Dragon Slayer, players must move a pawn to the end of the board where it can slay a mighty dragon, though the dragon attacks the board after every turn, obliterating any unprotected piece. In the feudal Japan-set Lady Ronin, the chess Queen must eliminate every piece on the board in order to get close to the Shogun and assassinate them. And in Soccer Chess you must position your pieces in pursuit of kicking the ball into the goal. Try all these and several more original chess-inspired puzzle games in Chessarama!

The Grinch That Stole B*tches (2024)

I like to keep my reviews positive, anyone that’s followed for any real amount of time knows that. I don’t really like shitting on peoples hard work, especially work I don’t or can’t do myself. You can tell the director and writer Malik Marcell and fellow writer Ulrick Hopkins put time and love into this movie. And stars Otis Mcintosh and Christianne Jones enjoyed working on this and worked well together. Honestly, I would love to see them in more movies. Navv Green showing up in what is clearly a movie made friends wanting to get something done was cool to see, and I respect that.

But damn this movie hurt to watch at times. The premise is essentially this: The Grinch (Otis), fresh out of jail after basically being set up by Santa (Navv) wants to continue his work to destroy Christmas. This has been an ongoing thing for all time. It’s hinted that Santa is a title passed down from father to son and that The Grinch is similarly a title passed from person to person, which I like.

The goal? Rob Santa of all his toys so he can’t deliver them, people won’t belive in santa, chirsmas will go away. During the break-in, which involves a drug addict and a dwarf, they run into a very unhappy Mrs. Clause. (Ms. Jones) who decides she’s gonna sleep with the Grinch and go back to his place to get back at Santa for ignoring her. Since she is gorgeous, the Grinch agrees.

Discovering his plan to ruin Santa, the wife decides that since the Grinch is great in the sack, they will get all the lonely moms to come back to his place. This will somehow ruin Christmas. I think the plan was to make the kids misbehave or something. This results in the best scene in the movie: all these women sign up to be “kidnapped” in a fun and playful way and get tossed into the back of a car, bags packed. Husbands are mad as hell, women are laughing, the Grinch, his pet crack head and dwarf are having a great time.

I won’t ruin the ending of this hour long movie for you in case you want to see the twist ending for yourself. The movie isn’t good, and it really doesn’t paint the black community in a good light. I think it may be the worst thing done to the black community since slavery, Jim Crow laws, and P. Diddy parties. Watch it at your own risk. Best wishes, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Watch new trailer for farming sim meets tower defense adventure The Rabbit Haul

Coming to PC and Switch in 2026, The Rabbit Haul places players in the role of a cute cottontail trying to rebuild their hometown after it’s been ravaged by greedy raccoon gang, the Trash Panda Posse. During the day, you must tend to your crops, replenish your food reserves and economy, water your farm, add harvested produce to your haul, and grow defensive tower plants that will help thwart off invaders. Be strategic in your placement, as an ideal garden will make use of synergies created between harmonious plants.

When you choose to switch over into nighttime, you must defend your haul against the assailing Trash Panda Posse. They’ll grow stronger with each wave, with different enemy types attempting to spoil your riches, so you must upgrade your weapons and defenses to ensure you can survive the night!

No two playthroughs are ever the same, as The Rabbit Haul features a sprawling, randomly generated world full of quests and treasures. Explore the overworld to discover unique items and allies that will help rebuild your town and reinforce your defenses even further. Between runs, you can upgrade your towers, unlock new merchants, and prepare yourself for your next adventure. With an array of unique weapons, upgrade paths, powerful towers and crops to unlock, The Rabbit Haul offers countless playstyles to master!

In addition to the story trailer, Caldera Interactive also put together this 60-second Dev Diary offering an introduction to The Rabbit Haul’s gameplay loop. Take a peak at The Rabbit Haul’s structure and sign up for its alpha playtest this summer on the Discord!

“With the escalation of climate change in recent years, we wanted to make a game that celebrates thriving ecosystems based on biodiversity,” said Mickael Zerihoun, Co-Founder at Caldera Interactive. “It’s important to find balance in nature, which is what The Rabbit Haul is all about. You need to grow crops, as well as defend them, creating a sustainable habitat for all harekind!”

For more information on The Rabbit Haul:
Wishlist on Steam: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2514330/The_Rabbit_Haul/
The Rabbit Haul website: https://calderainteractive.com/
Follow The Rabbit Haul on X: x.com/CalderaInteractFollow The Rabbit Haul on BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/calderainteractive.bsky.social
Follow The Rabbit Haul on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@calderainteractive
Join The Rabbit Haul Discord