College Football is back and better than ever….maybe

It has finally arrived, EA Sports has released College Football 25. It truly feels so good to play a college football game again. So many people like myself, have dreamed of the day we would be able to play this game again. Being an avid college football fan and long time fan of all the college football games, I have the pleasure of reviewing CFB 25. So let’s talk about if the game has held up to all the hype or if nostalgia wasn’t enough.

On The Road To Glory

Let’s jump into the highlights of College Football 25, and I have to say this, it’s a huge leap forward from EA Orlando’s recent Madden titles in terms of aesthetics and overall experience. The game shines with how amazing and detailed the visuals are. You can see the players sweating individually. The gameplay animations are so fluid and lifelike. I can’t talk enough about how the presentation surpasses what Madden has offered for the several years.

All the teams have unique entrances and Mascots celebrating as big plays happen on the field. Speaking of the field, the stadium atmosphere is so immersive and truly amazing. Playing against a rival school and they have a top 10 stadium pulse is so bittersweet. You hate playing against them, but when it’s your stadium you absolutely love it.

The stadium doesn’t just rock by itself, the dynamic crowd reactions also help with immersion. You also get to see your stadium fill up as you build up your school and win games. I started off as an offensive coordinator for Arkansas State and you could see the stadium go from a small number to being packed out as I reached the CFB playoffs year after year. The game also features a large number of player celebrations, all the bowl games, multiple commentary teams and more.

I have to congratulate EA Orlando on capturing the essence of college football’s pageantry and tradition. It’s clear they put a lot thought and consideration and detail in making this game feel special and unique. Hopefully we see more of this in Madden as well. As stated above, the gameplay is more fluid and faster. Just like a real college football game, things can change in an instance. The player movements are more responsive and agile.

Student Athletes First

You can tell EA Orlando also put in a lot of work off the field as well. Boasting a revamped passing system, that allows you to aim the ball just about anywhere you want. You can determine the arc and trajectory of the ball as you down the receivers button. Don’t worry for those players who prefer the madden passing system, they have that as an option as well, along with a more classic passing system. The revamped passing system does have a bit of learning curve to it. I have to confess, I have played well over 25 hours and still stumble from time to time but getting that perfect throw on a fade route is a beautiful feeling.

Other improvements are how many options there are for running option plays. RPO’s and screens are everywhere in all playbooks. The defense also gets some love by being able to scheme and run shell coverages. This allows you to disguise your coverage or blitz to confuse the opposing quarterbacks. I also love how every receiver has 12 hot route options, no matter who you have at quarterback. You can even adjust the length of some of your routes as well.

Another bittersweet feature is the “Wear and Tear” system. You can see the effects it has on certain players as the game goes on and on. You have to adjust how that player is used and how much time they spend in the game. I say bittersweet again because this happens to your opponents as well. So a couple of good hits on the other teams star back and you could start to see him slow down and maybe able to cause a fumble.

Stopped On The 1 Yard Line

So let’s discuss some of the things that didn’t go so well in this years version. With this game coming back after over 10 years there were a lot of high expectations. The majority of us know why the NCAA games had to stop but with NIL EA was able to bring the game back. With the NIL you see some of the negative effects throughout this game.

With getting real players, some of the previous features in NCAA are no longer available in CFB 25. With the NIL in place along with real players we are no longer able to transfer rosters to Madden, we are also unable to edit recruiting classes. With there being some grey areas with NIL, hopefully the latter will change.

Playing through all modes from “Road to Glory” to “Mini games”, I ran into a couple of glitches. Playing through RTG, I experienced a glitch where my player would become the number player for one game and once the week was advanced I would be at the bottom of the depth chart. Had this happen to me at least twice on two different RTG players.

EA also brought back their Team Builder website. With team builder you are able to basically create your own team/school to play with in exhibition and dynasty mode. You can upload custom logos, customize your teams uniforms and more. Team Builder is a great feature but still lacks on some selections. No generic stadiums to use for your schools and a few bugs but Team Builder is currently still in beta. Hopeful for updates to come throughout the season.

Dynasty mode is one of my favorite features throughout the game. You can take the challenge of rebuilding a 1-star school and turning it into a powerhouse or taking a top school and continuing their dominating legacy. The recruiting can be a bit tedious and tiresome but when you land a 5-star recruit it feels worth it. Ran into a few overpowered teams but EA has mentioned they will be reevaluating and adjusting stats and teams.

Reaching The Mountaintop

Overall, EA Sports college football is a fun game. The gameplay, presentation, visual details all make this game a must play if you are a college football fan. The recruiting aspect, although tedious, so much fun. I know a lot of people were expecting this game to be perfect and even though it falls short of that it’s still currently the best football game out. There is so much here and with EA making updates and promising more to come in the future, this will only get better. This game was played on an Xbox Series X.