News:: J-List Snackbox DX: October 2017 - Japanator Unboxing

The recent rise in popularity of all these snack boxes by mail have given people alternatives in their snack game and with plenty of different services out there, there's something for everyone. For people like me who are into things from Japan, there's plenty of different services I can try out to satisfy my cravings for far east snacks. One of these services that I recently got to try is the J-List Snack Box DX from J-List and I made an unboxing video above just to check it out..

The J-List Snack Box DX for October 2017 comes with 16 different snacks (including Melon Pan) weighing it at over 2 pounds and it's a big box alright. It's got some snacks that will have familiar flavors for westerners but just in a different and unfamiliar packaging. There are some snacks that will be new to westerners but nothing that would be truly out there that would cause some upset stomachs.

The most interesting item in the box that's quintessentially embodies the "weird Japanese thing" is the Garlic Shrimp Doritos. It's not as weird as it sounds, coming from someone who grew up on asian snacks that often incorporate seafood flavors. It wasn't fishy smelling or weird tasting and the garlic flavor that gave it a bit of a kick.

Check out the video above for the unboxing and a few of my thoughts on the contents.

Use the coupon code "Japanator" to get 250 points (a $2.50 value) for purchases over $20 at J-List (Not applicable to the preorders).

[The snack box in this unboxing video was provided by J-List]

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News:: GameStop says they sold out of SNES Classics in 'minutes' but will 'get more very soon'

The SNES Classic edition situation ended up being much more favorable than the NES Classic. Not only did stores have more stock the morning of its launch, but the system itself comes with two controllers in the box (the NES Classic had even greater controller shortages, funnily enough).

Still, there are some folks out there who maybe weren't able to get a midnight pre-order or weren't able to take off work to wait in line before a brick and mortar location opened, and missed out. According to GameStop (and by proxy, ThinkGeek), they'll be restocking it "very soon."

Speaking to Siliconera, GameStop Senior VP of Merchandising Bob Puzon had this to say: "Nintendo has done it again! Customer demand for the SNES Classic was just like we expected. We sold out of our SNES Classic inventory within minutes in both our GameStop and ThinkGeek retail channels. But customers shouldn’t worry. We’re getting more very soon. Once we do, our customers will be the first to know!"

Hopefully this is a concerted restocking effort and not a tease, as any trickle consoles will be immediately scooped up by scalpers. According to this poll though roughly 71% of our readers managed to snag one, so maybe you don't need to wait on those restocks after all.

GameStop Says More SNES Classic Editions Will Be Stocked “Very Soon” [Siliconera]

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News:: Bluehole and Sony are discussing bringing PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds to PS4

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is an unprecedented success. The popular battle-royale style game came out of nowhere back in March of this year, and has since taken the industry by storm, with over 13 million purchases, and the highest concurrent player record on Steam yet.

There's a version of PUBG coming to Xbox One later this year, and the game will depart from early access sometime in 2018, finally getting a proper release on PC, but there's something else lying in wait for PUBG: a potential version of the game on this generation's best-selling console, the PlayStation 4.

In a recent feature with Bloomberg, Chang Byung-gyu, Bluhole's founder, said that his company is in talks with "all of the major console companies about bringing PUBG to a broader audience." He mentions the Xbox version that will be launching later this year, and specifically states that Bluehole and Sony are thinking about a release for the PS4 after that. 

Bringing the PUBG craze to consoles makes perfect sense from a business perspective, but I'm curious how far the notion of "all of the major console companies" truly goes. Could this mean that Bluehole is courting the likes of Nintendo about a Switch version? It seems possible, given that even behemoth games like DOOM are hopping on the Switch these days.

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News:: Game gifting comes to the Xbox One's online store

If you've ever wanted to gift an Xbox One game but didn't want to saddle the recipient with a physical copy (or an impersonal gift card), you're in luck. So long as you're part of the Xbox Insider Program, Microsoft's promised game gifting feature is now available for Xbox One titles through the console's online store, including some Windows 10 games that support Play Anywhere. You can either send a title directly to one of your Xbox Live friends or to an email address. The recipient only has to redeem a code to claim their game.

Source: Windows Central (1), (2)

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News:: Splatoon 2's next Splatfest is basically Team Right Vs. Team Wrong

The regular Splatfest's that have been hosted in both Splatoon games usually exist to gauge popular acceptance of a specific thing. They typically don't ask questions that have concrete answers, because then someone would be willingly selecting a counterpoint to be a contrarian. Could you imagine if Splatoon 2 had something like "People who put the toilet paper frontwards" vs "People who put the toilet paper backwards?" That would just be plain stupid.

Wait...that is happening?! Who in their right mind puts the damn toilet paper on backwards?! Is Nintendo crazy?! Well, for one reason or another, the next Splatfest coming to Nintendo's vibrant third-person shooter will be just that. As I said in the headline, this is "Team Right" Vs. "Team Wrong."

The proceedings (that are sure to be a bloodbath) will be happening next weekend on October 7 starting at 4 pm CEST. If you are even a half decent human being, you will select frontwards and end his nonsense once and for we. Everyone knows that the answers that come out of Splatfest's become gospel, much like how Patrick Starr is the best character on Spongebob Squarepants now.

Splatoon Toilet Paper Joke Becomes Splatfest Reality [Kotaku]

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News:: Five fan projects that should be on your radar

Unfortunately, the customer isn't always right when it comes to video games. Projects get cancelled, games only see a release in certain regions, and obviously brilliant ideas never come to fruition. Luckily for the rest of us, some fans have endless reserves of energy and just a dash of masochism, leading them embarking on sprawling projects to enhance their favourite games.

The video game landscape wouldn't be quite the same were it not for the results of these passion projects. Here are a few highly important, or at the very least interesting, independent projects that have built on a pre-established series or modified a particular game.

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News:: My emotional EGX-perience with Detroit: Become Human

"Hello, Welcome to Detroit..."

It was such a warm and friendly voice, but it was coming from a young woman with a hollow, vacant face, stood in a pose like she was at one with the universe, yet ready to pounce into action at a second's notice. This was the "android" managing the queue for the booth set up to showcase David Cage's latest, Detroit: Become Human.

As she welcomed each attendee to the queue, I watched as they responded to her, but were immediately perturbed by her thousand-yard stare and empty stance as she slowly scanned the surroundings. She blocked off the queue when it became full, turning away further attendees with a polite message, but mostly unresponsive to their further questions.

Without a doubt, Android Girl was my favourite part of the EGX weekend, I never saw her out-of-character, she was unshakeable in the face of people staring at her, and she rolled out that act, all day, for four straight days (including, I later found out, her birthday.)

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News:: Take the plunge on that PS4 Pro with Sony's new 'PlayStation Credit Card'

Credit cards are both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, they allow you to pay for large expenses that you may not have the current cash to handle, paying things off over time. On the other hand, they allow you to pay for large expenses that you may not have the current cash to handle, eventually bankrupting you. If they weren't so necessary in current life, I'd completely do without them.

If you've somehow dodged all possible credit cards and were waiting for a themed one around your favorite console, Sony has got your back. Announced a few days ago in partnership with Capital One, you can now nab the official "PlayStation Credit Card" and start earning points on all official Sony purchases. I suppose if you're a huge PS4 player, this card could be of benefit to you.

After getting approved for the card, your first purchase will net you a $50 PSN card. You'll also earn five times the Sony Rewards points for purchases from the PSN store and on all purchases of Sony products through participating retailers (of which there is conveniently not a list). Along with that, you'll earn three times the points for paying off mobile phone bills and a standard one times points on all other purchases. For those unaware, Sony Rewards is a free program that allows you to rack up points in accordance to your purchases on the PSN store, with 100 points equaling $1.

If that bland design in the header isn't to your liking, then you can customize the card with a couple of themes based on Sony's most popular franchises. I can't get any pictures of those designs without going through preliminary sign-ups for the thing, but the description page shows Uncharted 3 and Killzone 2 as potential options. I wonder if Knack has any representation.

As for the interest rate, there is no annual fee. APR financing is 0% until March 2018, after which it will raise between 14.99% and 24.99%. Not the worst deal around, but still pretty bad. The card is a Visa, so if you live in an area where that isn't accepted (basically nowhere), then just keep that in mind.

I've always found it odd when entertainment companies get involved in the credit game. To me, it feels like a double edged sword that is meant to provide benefit to real hardcore spenders while simultaneously hurting those that practice frugality. Why banks need to charge such exorbitant interest rates are beyond me, but if you're completely loaded with money, I guess this card will be great.

Introducing the New PlayStation Credit Card [PlayStation Blog]

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News:: Celebrating the long defeat in XCOM 2: War of the Chosen

Humanity is doomed. The hammer hasn’t fallen quite yet, but from where we’re standing, you can see its rapidly expanding shadow as it comes crashing down. Humanity is finished. The best and brightest of our generation are either dead or driven mad from trauma, and while I don’t know exactly how, I am certain that it is all my fault.

Defeat in XCOM 2: War of the Chosen is a strange and bizarrely beautiful thing. Not only because it is possible, even probable, to lose the game (so long as you’re playing honest), but because it takes its damn time. The game always lets you know exactly how close you are to extinction, how much work you have left to do, and graciously allows you to do the math and know there is no hope left.

Defeat is a rare thing in games in general. It’s almost unheard of for one to luxuriate in it. 

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News:: Weekend deals: 20% off Road Redemption, 30% off FIFA 18 for PC

Some pretty neato deals this weekend as we start October in earnest. Recently released FIFA 18 on the PC is already 30% off. The spotty launch (color us surprised) means the game is not going to hold list price for long. At $42, it's an okay price for fans of the franchise and wants to continue with Alex Hunter's "The Journey" storyline in the very pretty Frostbite engine.

On the flip side of things, next week Wednesday will be the release of popular early access title Road Redemption. If you want a nifty biker gang racing, action arcade title with your pals (4-screen split screen supported on PC) - this is a title to watch for. The title has been available since late 2014 as an early access and has been a fan favorite for any in the late-90s Road Rash series. At $16 we think it's a less risky pick-up than the aforementioned once-a-year Triple-A.

In console department, you'll find refurbished (aka used) PlayStation VR Core headset on tap at GameStop for as low as $249. GameStop is also running a huge "Buy 2, Get 1 Free" used game sale through tonight, and you'll also be able to pick-up some cheap used system such as the N64, Gamecube, and Dreamcast for $60 and under. Continuing with the pre-owned theme, further down the list you'll find a bunch of used games for cheap (such as The Last Guardian for $21.89) from Walmart as they clear out inventory as well.

Top Deals

• FIFA 18 (Origin) — $41.99  (list price $60)
• Road Redemption (Steam) — $15.99  (list price $20)
• South Park: The Fractured But Whole (Uplay) — $47.99  (list price $60)
• PlayStation VR Headset (Refurbished) — $249.99  (list price $300)
• PlayStation Plus 12-Month Subscription (Digital Code) — $47.99  (list price $60)
• Persona 5 (PS4) — $39.99  (list price $60)
• Yakuza 0 (PS4) — $39.99  (list price $60)

Sales Events

• GameStop Sale: Buy 2, Get 1 Free Pre-Owned (Games and Accessories) <- Ends tonight
• Green Man Gaming Sale: Just Cause  <- Franchise sale

Used "Retro" Consoles

• Nintendo 64 System — $59.99  (list price $60)
• Nintendo Gamecube System Silver or Black — $49.99  (list price $50)
• Sega Dreamcast System — $44.99  (list price $50)

Recent Releases

• 09/28: Total War: Warhammer II (Steam) — $48.99  (list price $60)
• 09/27: Stable Orbit (Steam) — $8.57  (list price $15)
• 09/26: Ruiner (Steam) — $16.99  (list price $20)
• 09/26: Fallout 4: Game of the Year Edition (Steam) — $47.99  (list price $60)
• 09/22: Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns + Path Of Fire (Publisher DRM) — $43.99  (list price $60)

Upcoming Releases

• 10/10: Middle-earth: Shadow of War - Gold Edition (Steam) — $74.99  (list price $100)
• 10/27: Super Mario Odyssey + Cappy Collectible Coin + $10 Best Buy Rewards (Nintendo Switch) — $59.99  (list price $60)
• 01/23: Lost Sphear (PS4 Download) — $47.49  (list price $50)
• 01/23: Lost Sphear - Day One Edition (Steam) — $42.49  (list price $50)

PC Game Deals

• Sid Meier’s Civilization VI (Steam) — $28.99  (list price $60)
• The Jackbox Combo Pack (Steam) — $21.37  (list price $50)
• Just Cause 3 XL Edition (Steam) — $17  (list price $85)
• Sid Meier's Civilization Beyond Earth - The Collection (Steam) — $14.24  (list price $60)
• Mass Effect Andromeda (Origin) — $13.88  (list price $40)
• Hitman Collection (Steam) — $10  (list price $40)
• Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth - Rising Tide (Steam) — $7.12  (list price $30)
• Sonic the Hedgehog 4 : Episode I (Steam) — $2.37  (list price $10)
• Sonic the Hedgehog 4 : Episode II (Steam) — $2.37  (list price $10)
• Sonic Spinball (Steam) — $1.18  (list price $5)
• Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (Steam) — $1.18  (list price $5)
• Sonic 3D Blast (Steam) — $1.18  (list price $5)
• Sonic 3 and Knuckles (Steam) — $1.18  (list price $5)

Console Game Deals

• Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Wildlands - Pre-owned (PS4, Xbox One) — $21.89  (list price $60)
• Tom Clancy's The Division - Pre-owned (PS4, Xbox One) — $10.45  (list price $17)
• Yoshi's Woolly World (Wii U) — $19.97  (list price $30)

PS4

• Battlefield 1 - Pre-owned (PS4) — $22.04  (list price $60)
• Sniper Elite 4 - Pre-owned (PS4) — $21.89  (list price $60)
• The Last Guardian - Pre-owned (PS4) — $21.89  (list price $40)
• Valkyria Revolution - Pre-owned (Xbox One) — $17.99  (list price $40)
• Mass Effect Andromeda Deluxe Edition (PS4) — $15.34  (list price $50)
• Rabbids Invasion: The Interactive TV Show - Pre-owned (PS4) — $6.05  (list price $40)

Xbox One

• Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 - Pre-owned (Xbox One) — $21.89  (list price $60)
• Gears of War 4 - Pre-owned (Xbox One) — $16.88  (list price $20)
• Mass Effect Andromeda Deluxe Edition (Xbox One) — $14.59  (list price $50)
• Rocket League (Xbox One Download) — $11.99  (list price $20)
• Far Cry 4 - Pre-owned (Xbox One) — $10.45  (list price $40)
• Borderlands: The Handsome Collection - Pre-owned (Xbox One) — $10.45  (list price $30)
• Chivalry: Medieval Warfare (Xbox One Download) — $10  (list price $20)
• Need for Speed - Gold Required (Xbox One Download) — $8  (list price $20)

Game deals from Dealzon. Sales help support Destructoid.

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News:: What has been your favorite video game collector's edition?

This week’s question is brought to us by our own Chris Moyse. He brought it up after reporting on those awful vagina eggs Infinity Stones included with the collector's edition of Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite and for the past several days I’ve been racking my brain trying to think of any special edition games or consoles I’ve actually purchased in my decades of gaming. I managed to pick up the complete copy of Fire Emblem Fates, nabbed the $100 Breath of the Wild special edition earlier this year and currently do all my portable gaming on a Majora’s Mask New Nintendo 3DS. Had I been able to get my hands on that $120 version of Breath with the sweet Master Sword statue, I’d be gushing about that right now.

I simply don’t buy many games that end up having amazing special editions I must have. Actually, that’s not true. There have been several special editions that did get me excited, only to have that anticipation crushed when I find I won't be able to buy it. The scarf that came with Hyrule Warriors, the kickass Bayonetta 2 Book of Angels edition or the very recent legacy edition of Metroid: Samus Returns have all wet the appetite only to either skip release in the US altogether or only find availability at the Nintendo store in New York.

So my answer to this week’s question by default is that Fire Emblem Fates pack I managed to pick up by logging onto Best Buy's website seconds after I found out it was announced. 

Well, not by default actually as I really like the Fire Emblem Fates Special Edition. The pouch is pretty useless in that it’s pretty but useless, however, the included art book is a nice little treasure of its own. But what really made it worth it was getting all three stories of Fates on a single game card. There was no need to worry about downloading anything extra, it was all there and available from the start on that one card. So perhaps my favorite thing about this SE is its convenience.

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News:: Dragon Ball FighterZ vs. Xenoverse: What's the best adaptation method?

Talking with Chris Moyse this weekend about our experiences at Eurogamer Expo (EGX) and Tokyo Game Show (TGS), we got to the topic of Dragon Ball FighterZ. Although I said it was probably the best game I played at TGS, I felt it had lost something that previous Dragon Ball games had.

It's one thing to see screenshots and videos, but to have the game running in real time in front of you is another. Dragon Ball FighterZ looks absolutely stunning and really blew me away with it's visuals and presentation. It ran incredibly smoothly, sounded great, and controlled great. No doubt about it, this is high quality fighting game from one of the best in the business, but is it the best way to adapt something like Dragon Ball?

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News:: They Call Me Spooky: The Spookiest Camera Angles in the Resident Evil Remake

[Halloween is my favorite holiday, and October my favorite month. Let's kick this year's spooky festivities off right with an oldie but goodie from Nathan D exploring the excellent camera work from 2015's remake of Resident Evil. This is part of our Who Let the Blogs Out?! series highlighting awesome community stuff we missed the first time around. Get your butt into gear and write about your favorite spooky things from video games, and you could see your work on Destructoid's front page! - Wes]

Halloween is just around the corner (and so are zombies...probably). Why not talk about one of the last true survival horror games?

The pre-rendered camera angle of early survival horror and adventure games has become a lost art. While notorious to some gamers for inhibiting the player's view and being overly disorienting, the pre-rendered camera angle is an incredibly effective way of creating mood and atmosphere. Few games have done this form of art better than the remake of the original Resident Evil. Taking cues from classic Gothic horror, the camera and environmental design combine to create a game world dripping with atmosphere and detail...

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News:: Review: Pokemon Silver

As someone who grew up in the late '90's and early 2000's, I was a huge fan of the Pokémon series as a child. I was the type of person who'd make it a habit to wake up as early as possible to watch the latest episode of the animated series before school. I'd collect as many of the trading cards as humanly possible. I even had a few toys based off of my favourite collectable creatures. But for a while, that was it as far as my exposure to the series could go.

I didn't exactly grow up in the wealthiest of households, and while I knew that this franchise I was so enamoured with was based off of a video game series for the Game Boy, said games were completely out of my reach for a number of years. I still recall looking on in envy as those at my school traded and battled with their newly caught Pokémon, and as they shared rumours about tricks that could (supposedly) net you a Mew, a Missingno, or even the mythical 'Pikablu' — the latter of which was only obtainable in the fabled Japan-exclusive Pokémon Green, of course.

It was only a couple of years later that I finally managed to save up for a second-hand Game Boy Color of my very own. My first game for it? A used copy of Pokémon Silver. As soon as I left the store with my newly acquired game and console in-hand, I excitedly erased the save file previously left on the cartridge and began my first real adventure into the world of Pokémon.

For a long while, it was almost impossible to find me without my beloved Game Boy and copy of Silver. By the time the internal battery in my Silver cartridge ran dry, I'd managed to accumulate well over 350 hours of game time.

I don't think I'll be able to put so many hours into Pokémon Silver these days, but revisiting the game on the 3DS Virtual Console has shown me that my adoration for it is definitely still there.

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News:: It took six months for my Nintendo Switch to run out of space

When Nintendo announced that its next game console was going to come with just 32GB of internal storage, my heart sank. I'd been planning to go all digital for the Nintendo Switch -- making it a portable console that always had my favorite games on tap at a moment's notice. Instead, I found myself pre-ordering the console with a physical copy of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild. The compromise didn't last long. Between the tedium of swapping game cards and my fear of losing them, I wound up going all digital anyway. Within six months, my Nintendo Switch ran out of space.

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News:: Star Trek Online celebrates The Next Generation its best costume yet

As a game, Star Trek Online might not quite be the best MMO ever, but as a ball of fan service, it's right there among the best of the best, and that's not a bad thing to be when your thing is Star Trek. Especially these days, with a whole passel of new Trek properties and developments to riff off of. Take, for example, the latest "season" of the game, Season 14: Emergence, slated for release on Tuesday, October 3rd.

Along with the requisite advancements to STO's storyline, developer Cryptic is also taking the opportunity to celebrate Star Trek: The Next Generation's 30th anniversary with a handful of TNG throwbacks for fans to get excited about. Chief among them is the addition of LeVar Burton to the voice cast, reprising his role as Geordi LaForge, Chief Engineer of the Enterprise in TNG, and now captain of the U.S.S. Challenger. Geordi will play a key role in the story missions set to advance the new season, involving the Federation and its allies conflict with the alien Tzenkethi.

That's all well and good, but the real meat of Cryptic's commemoration is in the other content, like a show-accurate rendition of the Galaxy-class starship interior, and now, a much-requested deep cut from the Star Trek fashion archive: The "Skant". Present in just a few episodes of The Next Generation, the Skant was a unisex tunic-style dress that Trek creator Gene Roddenberry himself suggested as a uniform option. The idea was that gender equality would allow such a uniform to be worn by both male and female crew members. A fine idea, but in execution, it may have been a bit ahead of its time, with a unisex jumpsuit making for the standard uniform moving forward. Skant and unisex skirt options have been made available for characters throughout the game, including Klingon and Romulan faction players. Further, kilts have been added, for would-be Scotties to go full Scotland in their off time. The Skant and other items, like a playable TNG-style Type-7 Shuttlecraft and show-accurate uniforms based on the new show Star Trek: Discovery, are being given away for free through October 5th.

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