Seattle band Pickwick took to the main stage early Saturday morning, drawing a surprisingly strong yet sleepy crowd. The band was thrilled to be opening the day on such a majestic stage, and they only added to the glory of the scene. Frontman Galen Disston whipped around the stage during their cover of the Lou Reed song “The Ostrich.” It’s a fun, bouncy cover that features the singer shouting and the band members calling back to him, and it really gets the crowd going. Galen goes mental, shaking his head of bushy hair around and wailing. The band also played their well known hit, “Hacienda Motel,” in which Galen raises a tambourine to the sky and lets out a soulful note that sounds like it’s straight from a baptist church. The crowd followed along, raising their hands high and letting loose. It just might have been the largest secular saving The Gorge has ever seen!
2. Crazy Overflow at Sol’s Set

Another Seattle artist, Sol, was booked for the “Maine” stage, a very small side stage, later that day. Primarily used for local bands and a more intimate alternative to the larger shows, this stage didn’t even have proper barricades. The space allotted did not anticipate the raging crowds that Sol draws, and it was overwhelmed. Fans flowed up and over the makeshift stage which stood on a naturally higher outcropping than the grassy field, and bouncers had to physically hold fans back so that Sol could actually perform. Perhaps it’s time for this local artist to move on to the big stages!
3. St. Vincent’s Rage and Passion

On Saturday night, Annie Clark, alias St. Vincent, commanded the attention of the viewers at the Bigfoot Stage. She launched into a headstrong set of bone-crushing riffs like “Marrow,” “Cheerleader,” and “Actor Out of Work.” Not two minutes into her set, the guitar goddess shot furious looks at her guitar tech, jabbing her finger upwards for more volume. This continued a few songs into her set, and despite the technical issues, the sight of her furiously playing almost made the show more enticing. For one riff she even smacked repeatedly on her guitar body, bending its sound to her liking. After the sound issues had been worked out, furious solos in songs like “Surgeon” were even more rewarding.
4. Jack White & his Pianist’s Duet

Jack White headlined the main stage Saturday night, bringing along his all-male band. Rumor has it that he performs with either an all-female or all-male band, deciding on the fly each night which to bring on stage with him. The all-female band is featured in the single, “Love Interruption,” so the song was not included in his set, but powerful jams like “Sixteen Saltines” were. White included songs from various musical projects, including The Raconteurs, The Dead Weather, and of course The White Stripes, with songs like “Hello Operator,” “Hotel Yorba,” “Dead Leaves on the Dirty Ground,” and “Steady as She Goes.” The show almost felt like a Jack White retrospective, but there was nothing cheesy about it at all. The crowd was ecstatic to see such songs live after The White Stripes’ split last year. At one point, White joined his keyboardist for a grueling double-piano solo, wowing the crowd.
5. Reignwolf’s Unbridled Energy

Jordan Cook, a.k.a. Reignwolf, hails from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The Canadian guitar prodigy recently made his foray into America with a residence in Seattle, WA. His latest album, Seven Deadly Sins, features snarling guitar hooks and blues rock vocals. His stage presence is raw and energetic, ranging from him playing a guitar and kick drum, to a two-piece band joining him made up of Joseph Braley and Stitch (David T Rapaport) of Seattle band The Mother’s Anger. He wanders the stage lost in passionate riffs, hammering on notes on his guitar while he drums on either his kick drum or Braley’s set behind him. He even came out to join the crowd at one point, sitting on a bouncer’s shoulders to play to the front row. His is not a show to be missed!
6. Deer Tick’s Antics

Deer Tick of Providence, RI are known for their stage antics, and Sasquatch was no exception. Guitarist and singer John McCauley told the crowd he’d already been drinking all day, and he’d like to get the set over with so he can be done with responsibilities and come out and party with everyone. This sent the crowd into a roar, and set the tone for the band’s playful set. Highlights include McCauley humping his guitar while playing it like a giant phallus, then licking its neck a few songs later.
7. Plane Flyover Between Grouplove and Gary Clark Jr.
Early attendees to the festival’s last day were in for a treat. After Grouplove’s morning set at the main stage, while show goers lounged in the grass on the amphitheater’s slope and waited for Gary Clark Jr., a black object appeared in the sky in the distance. Everyone gasped as a black naval fighter plane got closer and closer, finally turning on its side and whizzing past the hill. The crowd let out a deafening roar and for one moment, everyone on the hill was one excited being. The glorious stunt had brought the sleepy and hungover crowd together, and Gary Clark Jr.’s exquisite set following was that much more exciting as a result.
8. SBTRKT’s DJ Set

SBTRKT (pronounced “subtract”) was the last artist to play the Banana Shack on Monday night. This tent is used for a variety of comedians and electronic acts. SBTRKT is the stage name for elusive artist Aaron Jerome from London, and the moniker can refer to either a live band of two who have toured recently, or in this case, the man himself doing a DJ set. One would never know, however, because the artist wears a tribal mask for performances. Fans may have been disappointed at first to realize it was a DJ set, but such feelings didn’t last long. Jerome delivered a well orchestrated mix of jams to finish the electronic side of the weekend with joy. Not one person was still during the entire set. To make matters even more beautiful, the set was at just the right time to catch the day’s last rays of sunlight. The stage was bathed in a yellow light for the first half, then plunged into sultry evening tones.
9. The Raccoon in the Rafters
The most bizarre moment of the whole weekend was undoubtedly a raccoon getting caught up in the rafters of the main stage in between Tenacious D and Beck on Monday night. The cameraman focused in on the little guy for a few minutes, and the crowd watched as he climbed first down, then back up one of the large supporting frames for the stage. This raised many questions as to how long the creature had been there, how it got up there, and why it might have strayed. The cameraman soon resumed his regular duties however, and the critter seemed to be left to find the way out himself.
10. Beck’s “E-Pro” with Tenacious D

Concluding the weekend with a fabulous set of many of his best tracks, Beck also found time for a few of his weirder ones. During his encore, Tenacious D came out to help him perform “Mutherfuker,” in which the chorus repeats, “Everyone’s out to get your motherfucker!” There’s nothing quite like Jack Black doing squats around the stage, growling those words as he stares down the audience. The sight was even funnier from the top of the amphitheater hill, where Black became a tiny squatting form, easily recognizable despite the distance. Black hammered on notes for a few of Beck’s solos against his guitar, and the two seemed to be genuinely enjoying themselves. Black even performed a “shaker solo,” where he shook maracas intricately for a few minutes, and afterwards Beck exclaimed, “I bet you didn’t see that shit all weekend!” The group performed “E-Pro” together for the final stretch, pulling the crowd into a raucous repetition of “Na-Na, Na Na Na Na Na-Na” which lasted long after the set and out into the lines filing out of the venue as people headed home or back to their campsites. And so ended another epic year at the Sasquatch Music Festival, with everyone in good spirits and singing a common tune.

Via: Live Music Blog.com

Enter the secret word(s) mentioned in the PS3BlogCast to earn 150 points. The first 5 people to enter it correctly get double points!

As always, we want to remind you that the PS3BlogCast is listed on iTunes! So please subscribe and rate/review us there.
You can also leave a voicemail for us by calling PS3-888-BLOG or if you want to contact us via email for us you can do so here. We have a dedicated forum for the PS3BlogCast so you can leave your questions and feedback there as well.
Here’s a list of some things (or everything) we discussed:

New Releases
Sony to Acquire OnLive?
PS4 Almost Went All Digital
Doom 3 BFG Edition
Guacamelee
Dead Space New Graphic Novel
Jason Rubin New THQ President
Witcher 1 Console Bound Still?
Snapshot
Diablo III
Secret Word

Via: PS3 Blog and Community | PS3Blog.net – PS3 News, Reviews & Opinions

The Trailer

The Download
Sonic 4 Episode II is available as a paid title for $6.99 and a lite version is free to install.

Sonic 4 Episode II THD
SEGA of America
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Sonic 4 Episode II THD Lite
SEGA of America
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The Game

The Sonic 4 saga continues with Sonic’s beloved sidekick, Miles “Tails” Power. Players can now experience the Sonic 4 saga as never before with the addition of a brand new engine; bringing you gameplay with updated physics and HD graphics.
“Sonic 4 Episode II is very special because we’ve integrated community feedback into the game,” said Haruki Satomi, Senior Vice President of Digital Business at SEGA of America. “We have some of the most loyal and dedicated fans and I hope they enjoy this next chapter in the Sonic 4 saga.”
For the first time Android gamers can enjoy an experience that is nearly identical to the PS3 and XBox versions, and it comes at half the price. Players with Tegra 3 devices like the HTC One X or ASUS Transformer Prime will enjoy higher quality textures, better lighting and glow effects, and objects on screen that are absent from other mobile versions.
Episode 2 also features a collaborative multiplayer mode where players can team up with a friend via Bluetooth and take control of Sonic and Tails as they battle against Dr. Eggman and Metal Sonic.
We just installed the game on our devices, so look for our full review in the coming weeks.
Release dates:

May 15: PS3, Playstation Network, PC digital download via Steam
May 16: TegraZone, Xbox Live Arcade
May 17: iTunes App Store
June: Google Play Store (non-Tegra devices)
July: Xbox Live on Windows Phone

Pricing:

PS3 and Steam: $14.99
Android, iOS: $6.99
Xbox Live Arcade: 1200 points

Episode Metal bonus pack:

Players who have Episodes I and II installed on the same device will gain access to a new bonus pack called “Episode Metal.” This unlockable story will feature a playable Metal Sonic, four exclusive levels, and allow players to discover the rebirth of Metal Sonic and learn more about how he survived the events at the end of Sonic CD. If you missed the first episode, grab it from the link below.

Sonic 4™ Episode I
SEGA of America
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Benefits of Tegra 3
Tegra 3 offers gamers the most technically advanced mobile version.

The Tegra 3 version of Sonic The Hedgehog 4 Episode II is the most technically advanced mobile version of the game, a near mirror-image of the full-blown PS3 and Xbox versions of the game.
In fact, by enjoying a game with a gamepad (either with wired or Bluetooth controllers) and outputting the device to an television via HDMI, it’s the CLOSEST to the actual console experience you’ll get on a mobile device…. All with fast frame rates.
Sonic on Tegra 3 has dramatically higher quality textures, better lighting and glow effects, and objects on screen that are absent from other mobile versions.

Non-Tegra vs Tegra 3 version of Sonic 4.
The Contest – Win a Toshiba Excite 10 (AT305) Tablet

Delivering more performance, sleek durability and more essential ports and features than the average Android tablet, the Toshiba Excite 10 Tablet is an all-around tablet designed for home and on-the-go use. It features a bright, high definition 10.1-inch LED backlit display with 10-finger multi-touch support, making it an ideal choice for web browsing, reading, games and apps. And it’s powered by a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor with GeForce graphics and 1 GB of RAM, opening up the possibilities for both everyday computing and mobile gaming.
How to Enter
Sonic is a character who is “like the wind” and he is often impatient with slower things. Send us a picture of you and your slow phone, with this post loaded in the browser, and you will be entered to win the super-fast Toshiba Excite 10 tablet. You can upload the pic anywhere you like, but just be sure to include the link to the photo in the comments below.
We normally allow anonymous comments, but for this contest you will need to be a registered user to leave a comment. Not signed up? It only takes seconds to join.
Multiple chances to win: Today marks the second-to-last chance to win a Tegra 3 powered device, so be on the lookout next week as well. Sega also provided us with some limited edition action figures and comics to give away, so there will be more chances to win some loot.
Contest Rules
This contest is open to residents of any country. Entries will be accepted until Wednesday, June 6th. We’ll announce the winner on this page and on our Twitter account as soon as we draw.
Contest Winner
Coming soon…

Via: Android and Me

With the innovative‘Smart stay’feature, the GALAXY S III recognizes how the user is using their device such as, reading an e-book or browsing the web. By having the front camera identify eye motion the phone maintains a bright display for continued viewing pleasure.
The GALAXY S III features‘S Voice,’an advanced natural language user interface, to listen and respond to user commands. S Voice presents powerful functions in regards to device control and commands, such as allowing the user to play a favorite song, turn the volume up or down, send text messages and emails, organize schedules, or automatically launch the camera and capture a photo.
With ‘Smart alert‘ the GALAXY S III will alert the user by catching any missed messages or calls with a vibration to notify missed statuses when picked up after being idle. If the user is messaging someone but decide to call them instead, they can simply lift phone to their ear and ‘Direct call’ will dial their number.

Easy and Instant Sharing
The Samsung GALAXY S III is more than a personal device that can be enjoyed by one user – it wants to share and experience smartphone benefits with family and friends, regardless of location with the following features:

With the new‘S Beam,’the GALAXY S III expands upon Android™ Beam™, allowing a 1GB movie file to be shared within three minutes and a 10MB music file within two seconds by simply touching another GALAXY S III phone, even without a Wi-Fi or cellular signal.
The‘Buddy photo share’function also allows photos to be easily and simultaneously shared with all friends pictured in an image directly from the camera or the photo gallery.
‘AllShare Play’can be used to instantly share any forms of files between GALAXY S III and tablet, PC, and televisions that are DLNA enabled, regardless of the distance between the devices.
The‘Group Cast’feature that allows users to share their screen among multiple friends on the same Wi-Fi network; users can comment and draw changes at the same time as co-workers- witnessing real-time sharing on individual devices.

The preloaded ‘Dropbox’application provides an even more convenient sharing experience, supplying 50GB of free storage for two years for not just image and music files, but now also for video content. With the GALAXY S III files can also be instantly uploaded through data networks without requiring WiFi access.

Uncompromised Performance
With a 4.8″ HD Super AMOLED display, the GALAXY S III offers a large and vivid viewing experience. Samsung Mobile’s heritage Super AMOLED display even enhances to HD and 16:9 wider viewing angles. To ensure faster content sharing and connectivity, the GALAXY S III offers Wi-Fi Channel Bonding which doubles the Wi-Fi bandwidth.
The GALAXY S III not only presents features with enhanced usability, but also provides an ergonomic and comfortable experience through its human-centric design. Its comfortable grip, gentle curves, and organic form deliver a rich human-centric feel and design. Available in Pebble Blue and Marble White at launch, Samsung will introduce a variety of additional color options.
The GALAXY S III also sports a range of additional features that boost performance and the overall user experience in entirely new ways, with features such as:

‘Pop up play,’users can play a video anywhere on their screen while simultaneously running other tasks, eliminating the need to close and restart videos when checking new emails or surfing the Web.
An 8MP camera features a zero-lag shutter speed that lets users capture moving objects easily without delay, with the‘Burst shot’function that instantly captures twenty continuous shots, and the‘Best photo’feature that selects the best of eight photographs, the GALAXY S III ensures users a more enhanced and memorable camera experience.
HD video can be recorded even with the 1.9MP front-facing camera, which users can use to capture a video of themselves. An improved backside illumination sensor further helps to eliminate blur in photos that result from shaking, even under low light conditions.
WithSamsung Hubs, users can continually refresh phone content through the ‘Game Hub,’ which provides access to numerous social games, while Video Hub, a new service offering to the Canadian marketplace, brings users high quality TV and movies for rent . Furthermore, Samsung Music Hub will offer a personal music streaming service.

The GALAXY S III will be available for purchase inCanadastarting onJune 20, 2012. Samsung is pleased to be working with all of the leading wireless providers inCanada, to give our customers a choice of service provider. The SGH-i747 variation of the GALAXY S III will be available from Bell Mobility, Virgin Mobile, SaskTel, TELUS and Rogers Wireless. The SGH-iT999 model will be available from Videotron, Wind and Mobilicity.
Additional Features Include:

Processor:

Snapdragon S4 Dual Core 1.5 GHz
Qualcomm MSM8960 Chipset

OS (Shipping): ICS 4.0.4
Data: LTE (SGH-i747 variation) and HSPA+ 42 (SGH-iT999 variation)
Memory: 2 GB RAM!!!
Dimensions: 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 mm
Weight: 133g
Memory: 16/32GB internal memory (SGH-i747)/ 16GB internal memory (SGH-iT999)

Expandable microSD up to 32GB

Display: 4.8 HD Super AMOLED 1280×720 (306ppi)
Connectivity: NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, DLNA, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, MHL Video Out
Camera: 8MP Rear-facing, 1.9MP Front-facing
Battery: 2100 mAh
Other:

TouchWiz with Motion UX
S Beam
AllShare Play enhance functionality
MP3/ACC+/WAV audio player
DivX/Xvid/MP4/WMV/H.263/ H.264 Video Player

For pre-orders, specific pricing and details, please visit your nearest carrier or retailer. For multimedia content and more detailed information, please visitwww.samsungmobilepress.com. In addition, you can find a product introduction video athttp://www.samsung.com/global/galaxys3/media.html.
* All functionality, features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice or obligation.
＊Android, Google, Android Beam, Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, Google Latitude, Google Play, Google Plus, YouTube, Google Talk, Google Places, Google Navigation, Google Downloads are trademarks of Google Inc.
About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung ElectronicsCanadadelivers unrivalled consumer experiences. Samsung enables Canadians to pursue their passions by offering abroad range of award-winning digital consumer electronics, IT, telecommunications and home appliance products. The Canadian arm upholds Samsung’s global mission to provide consumers with innovative digital convergence products that possess exceptional technology, quality, features, performance and value. As a result of its commitment to innovation and unique design, Samsung has become one of the most decorated brands in the electronics industry. The company was ranked #17 in BusinessWeek/Interbrand “100 Best Global Brands” and was named as one of Fast Company’s “50 Most Innovative Companies of 2011.”
For more information, please visitwww.samsung.ca.
You can also Like Samsung onfacebook.com/SamsungCanadaor follow Samsung on twitter @SamsungCanada. For customer service inquiries, please call 1-800-SAMSUNG (1-800-726-7864).

[Vodafone]

Via: Android Phone Fans

Hardware specs are said to include a 720p display, Cortex-A15 processor (no word on the amount of cores), 64GB of internal storage and all running on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.
No word on pricing or availability just yet. Where the Oppo Finder didn’t have much hope at leaving its homeland of China, ZTE has been known to release devices globally, which means there’s a chance — however slim (har, har) — we could see it hit the states sometime in the near future.
[Engadget]

Via: Android Phone Fans

Via: This Just In

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Throughout the campaign, you’re tasked with carrying out industrial sabotage, which effectively means shooting a lot of people and then violently removing a microchip from an important someone’s skull. Don’t expect to have multiple choice conversations or sneak around air ducts like you’re Adam Jensen. This is a pure, no brains shooter. You’ll be moving from room to room crouching behind cover and waiting for enemies to expose themselves for an easy shot, or for your DART-6 chip to recharge for a breach. There’s the odd boss fight and on rails shooting section, but it never feels fresh and soon becomes repetitive. As you progress, you get the option to level up your abilities, which range from improving energy efficiency and health. You can’t improve everything, so you’re forced to choose the assets that best suit your play style.
As a custom built cyborg, the new prototype DART 6 chip installed in your brain gives you the upper hand when it comes to combat. DART mode acts like a combination between Batman’s Detective Mode and Max Payne’s Bullet Time, slowing down the action and making you stronger whilst also highlighting enemies and breachable objects. This is the most beneficial enhancement offered by the DART 6 chip, allowing you to take control of turrets, open doors and manipulate enemies from a distance. There are 3 different Breach apps to use on your unfortunate foes; the first, Backfire, causes their weapons to, well, backfire, leaving them unarmed and knocking them out into the open when behind cover. Suicide is also pretty self-explanatory, with an explosive surprise making it particularly useful when applied to a crowded enemy. Lastly and the most effective is Persuade, providing you with your very own Brutus to lend a helping hand, shooting all their squad mates until they become overawed with their own sense of guilt and top themselves. Breaching is well implemented into the boss fights, too, as it’s required to deactivate missiles, create cover and removing their shields, making it the saving grace of Syndicate.

The weapon selection suggests not many breakthroughs in the arms race of the near future, but their familiarity at least allows you to get to grips with them instantly. There are the customary pistols, assault rifles and shotguns, along with the iconic minigun from the original Syndicate games. Some left field entries are present, too, in the shape of the Swarm Launcher, which fires a load of mini missiles, the Gauss Gun, that’s capable of locking onto a target and then shooting around cover in the same fashion as the Bullseye from Resistance, and the Thermite, which fires a continuous hot beam, setting your hapless victims on fire.
Syndicate comes with multiplayer as you would expect, but forgoes the usual deathmatch and capture the flag, and instead offers up a co-op only experience similar to that of Left 4 Dead and Uncharted’s. Charged with carrying out EuroCorp’s dirty work, you’ll again be fighting your way to a commanding officer to remove their chip, but now 3 other players accompany you. Providing a stern challenge, you’ll need to closely work together, avoid being flanked by your enemies, using breaches to heal and activate interactive objects. It’s much more enjoyable than the single player campaign, and when the missions have the same formula, you wonder why they didn’t make the whole campaign co-op. With the lack of an AI director or random generation, it all leads to Syndicate feeling overly familiar once you’ve played every level leaving very few reasons to come back.

The black trench coats, overly familiar futuristic weaponry, and Brian Cox voicing a lead character, all lead to many comparisons with Killzone. In fact, it even feels similar to play thanks to weighted movement and beefy weaponry. At least every vehicle encounter doesn’t result in a crash… although there is a lack of space cockneys though, sadly. As you may have noticed with my consistent referencing, Syndicate borrows many ideas from other titles and then adds a nifty breaching ability via the DART 6 chip. Unfortunately it’s never greater than the sum of its parts with linear design, obvious plot and unoriginality, which results in this this slickly presented reboot being as mediocre as feared. You can’t help but feel Syndicate is an unnecessary reboot which would have been much better if it had been left alone.

Review

ProsCons
Breaching
No online pass
Co-op
PresentationLinear
Obvious story
Repetitive
Uninspired Bosses

Rating60%

This review is based on a retail copy of the PS3 version of Syndicate provided by Sony.

Via: PS3 Blog and Community | PS3Blog.net – PS3 News, Reviews & Opinions

Via: Android Phone Fans

Via: This Just In