I would definitely go for Platinum. Look at it this way: say you'll fly 40,000 AA miles next year. As Gold, you'd get a 10,000-mile (25%) elite bonus. As PLT, that becomes 40,000 miles. How much are 30K miles worth? That alone may justify a mileage run, especially if you can take advantage of an Internet special.

The extra stuff is gravy. How much it's worth to you depends on your travel patterns.

As PLT, I've gotten operational upgrades several times (mostly back to the US from Europe or South America) when the Golds on boards stayed in the rear cabin.