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Endlesss is a simple, fun music collaboration app
Thanks to social distancing measures, online collaboration is more prominent than ever. But that doesn't just go for work -- it's part of having fun, too. When it comes to remotely making music with friends, there's typically a high barrier to entry. Not everyone is familiar with the workflows of digital audio workstations like Ableton Live or Apple's Logic Pro X. That's where Endlesss comes in. Billed as a "multiplayer music" app, it's aimed at users who are familiar with the basics of music production and synthesis while remaining somewhat accessible to those who aren't. Though it probably won't become a staple of bedroom producers, it could be a fun way to pass the time while cooped up at home.
Frank Ocean's new visual album is live on Apple Music
Endless, Frank Ocean's followup to his acclaimed 2012 debut Channel Orange, is available now exclusively on Apple Music as a 45-minute visual album. Rolling Stone says Endless is a separate project from Ocean's next traditional album, but we should expect that to debut this weekend. Ocean gave fans a taste of the album via a stream on his website earlier tonight. We heard on September 1st that his sophomore effort (then known as Boys Don't Cry) was meant for Apple Music, but rumors of a release that week turned up nothing.
'Endless Space 2' hopes to sate your space-faring strategy thirst
The million-selling Endless series of strategy games is expanding with the fourth entry, Endless Space 2. It takes place in the same universe as the previous releases, but at the "space colonization age of different civilizations" within it. If you sign up for the official newsletter you'll unlock a special in-game character, and spamming ten of your friends will get you a badge of honor and some in-game points. More details beyond those are teased for Gamescom next week, according to developer Amplitude Studios. To help hold you over, the team's put together an interactive teaser video (enter fullscreen, hold the space bar to swap viewpoints) that you'll find just below.
Patch 5.4 PTR: First look at the Endless Healer Proving Grounds
Olivia wrote up a great overview of the Proving Grounds for tanks, healers, and DPS. Today I'm going to be going a little more in depth on the healing side of things. Bronze and silver were excellent warmups. I wiped once on gold due to my over confidence on the final wave but managed to overcome it. This is what the Endless difficulty on Proving Grounds looks like for healers. You'll gain a certain amount of points per round and it will continue to tick upwards until either you or a party member dies in battle. Thankfully, the NPCs will appear in your party frames. There's a spiffy achievement if you're able to reach Endless Healer: Wave 30 which nets The Proven Healer title. Watch the video above as I play through the Endless Healer for the first time! I also narrate my spell choices and reasoning as I heal through the assorted waves.
Daily iPhone App: Spellsword is a tiny bite of RPG action
The iPhone's always been a great device for small flavorful bites of gameplay -- Canabalt's one-button jumping game probably set the course for this early on, but recently there's been a bevy of titles like these. Super Crate Box, Hookshot Escape, and Ziggurat have all offered up well-polished, simple, but endlessly deep bits of gameplay. And now here comes Spellsword, another great title in the same vein that cuts a specific genre (in this case, the action RPG) down to its core, and polishes it until it shines. There are two things for Spellsword's unnamed hero to do: Move around, and slash. But those two actions are made complex by collecting spellcards as you move, very similar to Super Crate Box's crates. Not only do they power up your sword, but they send out spells against waves of oncoming enemies, so your goal becomes to move around, dodging all of the various baddies and collecting cards as needed. One place where Spellsword really does innovate is in its missions mode. There is an endless mode, of course, and that's probably the ideal way to play the game. But Spellsword also has 60 missions to play through, which cut the endless gameplay down into a series of goals, like collect 5 cards, or survive 3 waves of enemies. Finishing missions earns rewards, which then get used in a nicely complex RPG system, allowing your hero to power up as you play. Spellsword is an excellent game. It definitely borrows a lot from other games (not the least of which are the endless references to all sorts of geek media), but it does innovate with that missions idea, and the RPG elements lend a nice addictive curve to the proceedings. iCade compatibility is a nice bonus, too. Spellsword is available in a universal version for 99 cents right now.
Daily iPhone App: Tobe & Friends Hookshot Escape catches sweet air
I've already suggested that you buy Tobe & Friends: Hookshot Escape in passing, and after playing with it for a few days, my advice hasn't changed. It's a remarkably cute and well-made game, with some interesting ideas about platforming, incredible music and graphics, and a lot of retro pixelated fun. Tobe & Friends: Hookshot Escape is an endless platformer. You jump your way up a series of platforms as the screen moves faster and faster. The terrain says pretty much the same as you progress, unlike many "endless" games. It sounds repetitive but it works, as the repetition helps you learn the layout. There are many unlockables (you earn currency as you travel along), the most important of which are other characters. Tobe, the main character, uses a hookshot to travel along, while others use a hammer, a dragon punch, or even a feather cape to fly through a level (check them out in the game's incredible trailer). I have two issues with the game. The first is with the controls. My thumbs occasionally slide off of them, making me miss a precise jump. The trailer originally made the game look like it was a one-button tapping affair, using tilt to move right and left, and I wonder if that scheme wouldn't work a little better. Secondly, the game isn't yet available on the iPad. While that's obviously not a gamebreaker, I wish I could see the graphics running in full, bright color on Apple's tablet screen. Both of those complaints are minor. Tobe & Friends: Hookshot Escape is a beautiful, action-packed game that's tough to put down. It's US$1.99 on the App Store right now, and worth every penny.
Super Street Fighter IV Team Battles and Endless modes detailed
Capcom recently fired off a fact sheet in our direction for Super Street Fighter IV and while most of it talks about the stuff we already knew -- additional fighters, online lobbies, car punching -- it did inform us of two new online modes for the expansion to this year's excellent brawler and hook us up with some screens of the updated lobby system. Teams of two, three and four will be able to see who's the best Hadoukener around in the new Team Battles mode, which is a "round-robin elimination" mode where "one man stays until beaten, next team member rotates in," Capcom's Chris Kramer told Joystiq. So players will be able to either control a team themselves or assign slots to other players in the room. Just don't go expecting any tagging in and out -- that only happens in other Capcom games. The other new mode is Endless mode, a one-on-one elimination mode where two players duke it out and the winner stays in the hot seat and fights the next individual queued up. If you've had any experience with DOA 4, then Endless mode is kinda like that game ... sans the ability to be a chicken in a sombrero running around a martial arts dojo. Capcom was also kind enough to include some new videos, strictly for training purposes. You can check out newcomer Juri fight T. Hawk above and, if you want some MAXIMUM gameplay footage, head past the break to see her fight Deejay. %Gallery-78315%
E307: Forever Blue crossing the pond as Endless Ocean
Forever Blue, the ocean exploration game from Arika, has been announced for a US release, with the slightly different. but thematically identical, title of Endless Ocean. We've got a short, but very pretty gallery of screenshots, and a similarly bite-size trailer. The trailer's music is as relaxing as the game looks. Look at that screen up there. It just exudes serenity even when a sea creature is bearing down on the poor diver. %Gallery-4749%
