So Sony finally unveiled its big “Long Live Play” announcement that it’s been advertising for weeks, only it wasn’t really an announcement at all. It was a new ad featuring numerous characters, recreated in real life situations, paying tribute to a mysterious player named Michael – along with various other players who have used them in action. This ad was pretty cool, including the likes of Kratos, Sackboy, Nathan Drake, Solid Snake and others. If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out below…
This wasn’t Sony’s first big move into advertising. It’s been doing a lot of great ads over the years, starting several years back and eventually settling into the era that would be known as the “Kevin Butler age”. Here now are some of our favorite Sony ads from over the years. We think you’ll agree that these are some stellar – and in some ways, strange – picks.
David Lynch doesn’t dabble in commercials often – and considering his eclectic style, there’s a reason for that – but his Bambi ad is one of the strangest, and coolest, things we saw in the PS2 era. A deer makes his way into the middle of a road, and when a driver doesn’t see him there and tries to hit the brakes, it ends up…destroying the car? Yep, that’s power for you. Our only complaint? No sign of Robert Blake.
The Ratchet and Clank ads were something special, using the best kind of visual effects to make it look like real kids were playing with fake weapons. One example is the tractor beam ad. By turning it on, the guy doesn’t realize he’s attracting thousands of pounds of metal in his direction. Yikes. For that matter, the one where a dude gets turned into a chicken is great, too.
When Crash Bandicoot invaded the parking lot at Nintendo, it was the stuff of epicness. Granted, Naughty Dog’s platforming series couldn’t quite top Super Mario 64 when it came to quality, but it was fun to see the smart-talking bandicoot guy try and intimidate employees anyway. We wonder where that guy went, anyhow. Maybe he’s working a haunted house somewhere…
Don’t bother looking for the PS9, because it’s years – YEARS – away from being on shelves. Still, that didn’t stop Sony from trying to see what the future of its PS system cycle would be like, only to come hunkering back to the PlayStation 2. It’s a pretty nifty ad, and if we could have a system that didn’t involve a big weighted deck, we’d be all for it. Granted, we’d probably lose it too…
The “Double Life” ad, which appeared in European markets for the most life, is a touching, dramatic one that shows everyday people taking a break from their everyday lives in order to live out something that’s more compelling. Compared to the abysmal “This Is Living” ad that came out, this is definitely a step in the right direction. Even if it does contain a drag queen…
The “Mountain” ad was equally compelling, just as “Double Life” was, but has a much bigger scale when it comes to providing a message. You’ve got a group of players called upon to challenge each other throughout the world, and they proceed to create a mountain of gamers, trying to top each other in the process. Well, that’s how online gaming works, so it’s very cool. Also, isn’t it more like a dogpile than a mountain? Just saying.
The Kevin Butler era of advertisements is easily one of the best yet for Sony, and every time the “fake” pitch man appears to talk about a product, we can’t help but take notice. Sometimes he can hook us by barely saying anything, as he did in this uproarious God of War III ad. Still, if anything truly defines Butler, we’d have to say it’s this…
This Kevin Butler ad is one of our favorites, not only effectively introducing the “Long Live Play” program, but also killing any rumors that the pitchman would be done with PlayStation touting. He does everything he needs to in order to get his point across – even riding a jet ski. Besides, can you really imagine this guy in charge of a flooring company? We think not…
