gt4 opening van halen

Relive the Gran Turismo 4 intro video with Van Halen

Greg Kachadurian

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I grew up in a household that loved classic rock. It was always on the stations we tuned in to and the CDs we played. I’m positive I had been subject to the legendary work of Van Halen before I brought home a copy of Gran Turismo 4 at the age of 13. But it wasn’t until I turned on my PS2 and anxiously sat through the intro video that I truly knew who they were. While the video opens with Moon Over The Castle, it doesn’t truly begin until the opening riffs of Panama break through.

I was mesmerized. Also hyped as hell to start playing. But I also knew at that moment that I had to go and find more of Van Halen’s work. It was one of the first songs I bought on iTunes along with Running With The Devil. As more services came along for listening to music, like YouTube and later Spotify, their work continued to be in my regular rotation. And today as the news of Eddie Van Halen’s passing broke in the news, this video was the first thing I pulled up. The rush of being a teenager waiting anxiously to experience a new game only to be blown away by the intro music instead is one of my favorite gaming memories from my childhood. It’s as good a time as any to relive some of that magic and pay respects to one of the greatest guitarists of all time.

Shred in peace, Eddie. Blast the fuck out of your Van Halen today.

[Source: YouTube, NPR]

About

Greg Kachadurian

Greg Kachadurian

I’m the guy that spoiled the site with all the new car stuff. Hooniverse News Editor since 2011, amateur motorsport photographer, sim racer, and mountain road enthusiast.

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7 responses to “Relive the Gran Turismo 4 intro video with Van Halen”

  1. Jeff Glucker Avatar
    Jeff Glucker

    https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/84383352bf9da49cc743ecd778cbb907afd61c6377720f9172500a4691b468e5.png

    Reply
  2. Fuhrman16 Avatar
    Fuhrman16

    Gah, Gran Turismo 4. That game frustrated me to no end, and largely drove me away from the series, but it was also the only simulator style racing game I for many years, so I sunk a mountain of hours into it. That intro video for it though was absolutely fantastic.

    Van Halen’s ’78 debut album was one of four cassettes I owned as a teenager and was the first thing I played in my first car when I bought it in 2003. Eddie will be missed.

    Reply
    1. Sjalabais Avatar
      Sjalabais

      I bought a PS2 just to play this game and loved it…for a while. Now, my son just got a PS4 and we only got Drive Club as a racing game. No online support and no split screen, so I need to find something as close to GT4 as possible.

      Reply
  3. outback_ute Avatar
    outback_ute

    Van Halen wasn’t classic rock to me, it was just rock… Wasn’t that into them myself, but they were about as big as it got at the time an hugely influential.

    Funny headline on the Telegraph describing Eddie: “Virtuoso, innovator, hater of brown M&Ms”

    RIP

    Reply
  4. Maymar Avatar
    Maymar

    I know Panama is literally about a car, but this will always be the main Van Halen association with cars for me.

    Reply
    1. 0A5599 Avatar
      0A5599

      When I hear “Everybody Wants Some”, I think of a ’67 Camero.

      Reply
  5. William Byrd Avatar
    William Byrd

    Those opening still give me chills. As excited as I was to play the new GT I always sat through the opening. This one was a great one, Van Halen and a Ford GT, great combo.

    Reply