Commercial Break Monday Says: Like, Can I Drive?

After that nightmare, I need to cover an advert that’s simple and sweet. Ideally, an advert that looks like sweets. Solar Fox to the rescue!

This does indeed look like he’s flying through the Dolly Mixture Galaxy, lost within the Chewitt Nebula. You’ll make it on skill and guts! Presumably because you’re using those guts to eat your way through the scrummy space obstacles. Even the fireballs look like gobstoppers.

The whole thing is relentlessly charming. The depiction of the eighties cool-cat player shows a recognition that it wasn’t just kids who played these games – or a more interesting recognition that kids don’t want to see themselves as a zitty little scumwad in a t-shirt when they could be imagining themselves as that dude out of Less Than Zero with a totally hawt girl on his arm. Not that Monsieur Coolcat is afraid to ‘neg’ her with a surreptitious thought balloon! That is cold as ice, bro. Player one? PLAYA ONE MORE LIKE.

Also, unlike most of these ‘comic’ style ads, it chooses an art style reminiscent of Lichtenstein (SPL CHK PLZ), and a fitting art choice it is too – this is all about knowing parody, gorgeous style ruling over the insipid substance of another crass blast-em-up from a no-mark company. This isn’t an advert for a game – what game could possibly match the rich reds and lush oranges of the solar fields? What game could play well enough to emulate Solar Fox’s slick, effortless turns and corners on the printed page? This isn’t an advert for a game – it’s an advert for itself, a hip style statement arrogantly signifying nothing but looking so damn good doing it.

I mean, seriously, this might just be the most beautiful advert we’ve had so far. Even the copy is amazing. “Speed and strategy are all you have and they just might be enough?” Dude, I am so buying Solar Fox.

Is there anyone out there who can tell me if it was actually as good as the advert? Because if it was I may just have to curse God for birthing me too late. And then find an emulator. Later, daddy-o.