Cool soundtrack, anything with the Ramones on it is a win for me.

But soundtracks for games are a thing of the past when you game on the Xbox. Having 80GB worth MP3s on an external HD does wonders!

Teamwork Takedown

@Enochrewt: 2K not EA. I agree with the stereotyping though.

el_rezzo

Good choice of tracks, Nitro and Linoleum would be perfect wall humping music. I myself haven't played video hockey this generation so maybe it's time to have a look.

el_rezzo

@lostgamedev: It's a sports game with no rap or hip-hop on the soundtrack. That sounds pretty damn newsworthy to me.

tinkyXIII

Hey Op Ivy, you're going to license some tracks to Rock Band next, right? Right? Please?

Sgoast

@uppitycracker:

indeed

I want my Richard Hell

BallPtPenTheif

Wow ... it's punk for people who are just getting into punk and a few amazing metal bands. Quite a dichotomy, there.

Larry Horse

Needs Yakety Sax.

phicaluk

Because all hockey fans like punk and all football fans like rap. It's pretty disgusting how EA stereotypes this stuff for their games.

Oh well custom soundtracks FTW.

Enochrewt

This is better than the shit fest of music they have on Madden. But I'm still waiting for someone to use the song from 7 Seconds called "I hate sports" on a 2K game. The irony I tells ya!!!!

MURDERFACE

I think that the soundtrack is appropriate to the pace of the game, to a certain extent, but when music is played during a hockey game (before faceoffs, between plays, etc.) it's usually either whatever is popular alt-rock for the area, or a formerly popular rock single.

Considering how 2K9 plays, though, it doesn't have the right speed to really feel like a punk centric soundtrack.

nick.soapdish

if thats what you consider punk, you have a very warped view of punk rock. not bad tho, but certainly not punk rock.

uppitycracker

What? No "Hockey Scores" Theme? ;)

huginn

A younger me would have bought this game for the soundtrack alone. If I had had an iPod in highschool, Linoleum surely would have been it's most played song.

I hate that I outgrew punk.

elementary

Wohooo! Ramones!
Although it might lead to a recurrence of that "incident" when I didn't realise that my mic was on and I was driving a tank in a certain shooter singing blitzkreig bop at the top of my lungs. All my side had stopped and started laughing before I had noticed.
It was really rather embarrassing.

Weirdwolf

Awesome soundtrack...definitely liking the fact Mastodon and Protest The Hero are on there.

thistimeXitswar

Oh oh Mike. You used a 360 cover... you know you're gonna get shit for that don't you? Should've (not a word) censored it with pixelation =)

okenny :) ...building bridges (to hide under)

there's a press release for a game's soundtrack? really? for a sports game? questions, questions... :)

lostgamedev

If it's an EA game, then the soundtrack probably has nothing to do with the sport. They've been really bad at connecting the dots, often using their games as marketing platforms for the music rather than trying to accompany the tempo of the title.

I'm not too familiar with 2K's efforts but my brother still loves hockey and he'd probably be stoked on this soundtrack since he still listens to Ska music.

Is that the demographic here, 30 year old men who still try to grasp onto their glory years?

BallPtPenTheif

I used to be a 2K fan soley because EA made the other games. But I had to get 09 this year with Be A Pro mode. I have to say, it is amazing.

But yes. 2K9 wins the soundtrack battle.

VladMalice

@Larry Horse: Please, let's not have the "my punk is harder than your punk" argument, for the sake of my sanity! There are no "gateway punk bands" that lead to harder more real punk.

It's music man. It's whatever you want it to be. I don't believe in beginners punk; because so many people are introduced to the genre through the most random of ways, which pretty much shapes the style they like the most.

Back on-topic - looks like a great soundtrack. Not enough to make be buy a hockey game; but nice.

fourzerotwo

@uppitycracker: So, the Ramones don't qualify as punk to you?

Kids these days...

badasscat

Great Soundtrack...now if I only was interested in hockey...:/

EvilFiek

Best soundtrack for any game ever!
Bad Religion, NoFX, Operation Ivy & Pennywise!!
Now give me those same bands on Guitar Hero/Rock Band

KEELr

@Enochrewt:

Precisely. When I bought MVP Baseball I was wondering if Emo kids liked baseball or something cause it was all strange alternative music.

And don't get me started on NBA games gangsta.

SnakesSolids

@uppitycracker:

Enlighten us what you think is "real" punk rock. If you start listing bands like Exploited, Crass, Sex Pistols, etc. I'm just going to ignore you.

You're delusional if you think there's some sort of concrete set of "real" punk bands. Do you have a denim vest with spikes and patches that you wear out on weekends?

All I'm saying is that a lot of those bands are considered punk bands. It's a very loose term these days. Who cares.

ajnewman

I appreciate every mention of Bad Religion

Dan Zuccarelli

Now I know I wont be buying this game.

BONERJAM

Protest the Hero, nice.

sqwarlock

That Bad Religion song is fantastic. The Ramones was a given but Op Ivy? Surprising to say the least!

However there's really not that many on there... they could get old fast.

jeffx

2K! QUIT PROBING MY MIIIIIIIND!

EndwaterAngry

It's a helluva lot better than the whiny emo shit music in EA's hockey games as of recent. I like NHL 08/7 alot better than 2K8/7, and Im guessing it will still be the same for 09. I guess i'll just stick to turning off the music in EA's.

bowzer

I don't really like punk, and I'm sure their is better music for the game, IMO, but the worst is getting a great game like Fight Night Round 3 and being blasted by rap and hip hop.

Hey EA - how about giving games options where you can have rock, rap or whatever music as your chosen default? Or offer games with different styles? A FNR4: Rock version and a Rap version?

Do something for the game-buying consumer: make them happy.

RockerX

The Sex Pistols were a product, formed by Malcolm McLaren, and sold to the world. Sure they had the ef the world mentality, but it was all an act.

gyroball

@el_rezzo: Oops you're right 2K (in this instance) but both companies do it, and it's disgusting.

Enochrewt

Eh, ok I guess.

They still need to add a shmup minigame that you can play on the scoreboard between periods to catch up with the greatest hockey game of all time.

alzheimers

It is at a point that I am extremely surprised that Fat Mike would allow himself to let companies use the bands material for profit, to which he has always been against. It is awesome that we can finally see their material in video games, but I really wonder what his true opinions are on doing allowing this to happen.

I can only assume that he is doing mainly for the money since our economy is pretty much shit right now, and that his beliefs on exploitation are set aside because of this. It's pretty sad to see what money does to people nowadays.

xAnarChisTx

LINOLEUM! SCORE!!

Now get that song in RB2 and I'll be happy.

iameleveneight

What a great soundtrack...EA usually has 'pseudo-music' for many tracks - just junky pop-punk. I would get 2k9, but the demo was so horrible and the last 3 or 4 ea nhl games have been GREAT. 06 and 08 in particular.

underthechestnuttree

@elementary: haha, same here man! Punk in Drublic is a timeless album though. I listen to it every year.

Nice to see some Mastodon and Nightmarchers up there! It's a shame there's no Hot Snakes but I dig it!

sherv

@Combichristoffersen:
*ice hockey

Combichristoffersen

Bad Religion, NOFX, Pennywise, Ramones and old The Offspring? This is relevant to my interests. Too bad ice hocky isn't relevant to my interests, though ;_;

Could we have a racing game with a punk soundtrack, maybe? And do add some old The Misfits songs.

Combichristoffersen

Basketball = Rap, Baseball = Pop, Football = Southern Fried Rock and Hockey = Punk. Yah, I guess that works.

Cenobite

this is probably the greatest licensed soundtrack I've ever seen! Pretty much the greatest song by NOFX, about anything by Pennywise is great, Bad Religion's greatest song since The Gray Race and from The Offspring, not just something so commercially succesfull like Pretty Fly or Self Esteem, but an amazing not-so-popular song from the good old days! Ramones and Satriani on top of that and I'm ready to declare the winnneeer!

Macko

and hey, Bad Religion and The Offspring! It's like a Crazy Taxi reunion!

I want a new Crazy Taxi. I know the third one was a little underwhelming, but enough time has passed. THE TIME IS RIPE FOR A NEW ONE.

KaneRobot

awesome soundtrack. i was just thinking of picking up a hockey game this year since i havent played one in a looong time. looks like 2k wins out over EA for my choice.

BryanGuitarDude

@uppitycracker: I used to be like you, thinking if a 'punk' band didn't sound like the bands I considered punk, it shouldn't be described as such. Then I got into an argument with Dexter from Offspring on a radio call in show. I was all bent because the band members referred to their music as punk. Dexter proceeded to tell me they were more Bubblegum Punk and there are several different flavors of music under the all encompassing umbrella of Punk. For instance, I'm partial to 80's SoCal Punk (Bad Religion, Circle Jerks, Black Flag, etc), but there is also UK Punk, Anarchy Punk, New Wave Punk, etc. The moral of this ramble is enjoy whatever music you like, and try to remember not everyone thinks like you do.

ThickSkinned

@Cenobite:

I was about to say the same thing ;)

GodKiller0

@ThickSkinned: and what was the argument about? You two have the same opinion :)

Macko

i wish this game was better for Wii :(

teh_joe

Personally not a fan of this playlist. Similar type of music in MLB 2K8. Wasn't a fan of that either. Got old quick. Not all sports fans are punk rock fans.

I prefer EA Sports sound tracks honestly. Hip hop and Rock.

DJ Magneto

@fourzerotwo: There are no "gateway punk bands" that lead to harder more real punk.

Yes, there are. It's like that in every musical genre, dude. Every single one. Kids start off listening to Green Day and Offspring because their music is easier to find. If they care enough, they eventually move on to the artists that influenced them and similar, less well-known artists who do things a bit differently. That's how it works. Nobody starts off listening to Minor Threat.

Ask any 30 year-old hip-hop fan who they started off listening to ... if they don't say Fresh Prince, Vanilla Ice, or Hammer, they're lying, no matter how hard the stuff they listen to now is. That's just the way it works. It's even more obvious with metal ... no matter how much they say they hate them now, 95 percent of metal fans started off listening to Metallica. Nobody gets into classical music by listening to Stravinsky. There wouldn't be a music industry if not for "gateway" artists like this, and if you think that they don't exist for punk, you're wrong wrong wrong.

Larry Horse

Operation Ivy? In a HOCKEY game? What is going on here? Most slack-jawed, mouth-breathing NHL fans wouldn't know Op Ivy if it was sitting in their drool-cups...

RubyMars

They spelled NOFX wrong :|

mfwahwah

personally, i'd prefer to just use the custom soundtracks feature. although i agree this is good music.

also, when im playing hockey, i want good play-by-play, but i don't know if i want music playing during the gameplay.. thats not how hockey is when i watch it on tv, or go to a game. we'll see.

joeloliol

I see about three punk songs and one ska punk song.

hero imprisoned

I think I just crapped myself. Op Ivy, Offspring from a pre-Americana CD, Bad Religion, NOFX, Ramones...WTF???

ceilingFANBOY

Wait, four. Sorry. I was expecting more from the title.

hero imprisoned

@hero imprisoned: Five, and really Op Ivy still counts as punk, so six. That is a lot though, considering that this is a sports title and there are not that many songs on the setlist. Also, some of those bands I've never heard of and could possibly be punk.

ceilingFANBOY

@alzheimers: Yeah, I vaguely remember that. What game was that?

thelken

Like I'm sure someone else has said by now, it's a bunch of songs I would've loved to hear in a game when I was 16. And Mastodon.

thesuperiormurray