What a Perfect Day

          There's nothing like a good video game commercial. For the first time in all of the years that I've known this company, Sony's newest Playstation 4 commercial hit the nail right on the head. Even you Nintendo and Xbox fans have to admit: this is just sweet. But before I get into why this commercial is so fantastic, I suppose it’s necessary to point out the technical stuff.

     One thing that many will find appealing about this commercial is the actual images that are depicted in the video. It’s clearly shown by the flesh cutting, car crashing, and extensive explosions that the PS4’s target audience ranges from your average testosterone-and-adrenaline-filled fifteen-year-old boy to hardcore video game junkees across the world. (And for all the women out there who are into a good explosion, this one’s for you too.)

     Another aspect of this commercial that some people may find appealing is the use of music. The song used is one of the late Lou Reed’s finest songs, from his 1972 album Transformer, titled “Perfect Day.” The entire length of the video, you have the characters of each game singing the the lyrics:

“Oh, it's such a perfect day

I'm glad I spent it with you
Oh, such a perfect day
You just keep me hanging on.”

     

Every time that I watch this commercial, I begin to reminisce over the beauty of Lou Reed’s music and I tip my hat to the creators of this commercial and to the people at Playstation for paying proper tribute to The Reed. To my knowledge, they’re the only major company that’s done so, and that’s what really gets me.

     Now, it must be said that there is a use of vagueness of language towards the end of the commercial. Before showing the PS4 logo, we see the words, “Greatness Awaits” in bold lettering. We may not know exactly what Playstation’s definition of “greatness” is, but for a lot of people, if it means what’s being depicted in the video, then you’re going to have millions of people lined up to get this game. So in this case, this use of vagueness actually has a positive outcome.

      Having said all of that, I would like to personally disclose that this is perhaps –if not my very favorite – one of my favorite commercials that I’ve ever seen. The games shown in the commercial: Gran Turismo, Elder Scrolls, Killzone – I’m a big fan, especially of the first two. That, combined with the fantastic images, makes this a commercial that would catch my eye. But, the main reason that I would get off my couch and burn a hole in my wallet to buy this product is because of the commercial’s incorporation of “Perfect Day.” I loved The Reed and I loved the song, and the fact that Playstation used his song to bring together this commercial was, well, perfect. In fact, this commercial was so perfect – and mark this on your calendars, folks – that I would buy the PS4 just because of it.

R.I.P. The Late Lou Reed (1942-2013). May He Continue To Walk On The Wild Side.