EA Sports’ College Football 25 releases to the general public on July 19.
NCAA football is back on home consoles! After an 11 year hiatus, EA Sports College Football 25 was released for early access on July 16 for those who purchased the deluxe edition. The series returns with Next Gen visuals and stunning graphics. From recruiting classes to the transfer portal, EA Sports College Football 25 is a college football simulator that does an excellent job of recreating a college atmosphere. Before we dive in-depth to review the long-awaited title, here’s a history of where we got to where we are.
The History
As some of you may know, the NCAA series was one of EA Sports’ flagship titles. It launched yearly over the summer alongside Madden; originally named Bill Walsh College Football in 1993 during the 16-bit era of the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis, before becoming simply
NCAA football. Due to licensing complications, most notably player likenesses, the series disappeared despite EA Sports’ effort to keep its game afloat.
The last entry before this week’s release, NCAA 14, was acclaimed with Metacritic scores in the high 70s and became a cult classic among NCAA football die-hards. The series went away after NCAA 14, and that entry, believed to be the last of its kind, was so highly coveted that resale copies on the Xbox 360 and PS3 were sold for as high as $180 dollars on eBay.
To say that the series’ return in the form of College Football 25 has been long anticipated is an understatement. On July 19, the game will be widely available for standard release. Yet, for those still deciding whether to purchase the game, here’s a condensed, honest evaluation after three days of gameplay.
Presentation
The presentation of College Football 25 is excellent. Everything looks well-polished and feels like an art design inspired by Nike and the ABC/ESPN broadcasts. Visually, the in-game graphic designs and stadium introductions make you feel like you’re on campus. And again, on the Next Gen hardware, it looks terrific.
Sonically, EA Sports kept it straightforward with music for the menus reminiscent of college marching bands. There are no retro songs like NCAA 06 or modern hip-hop, as Madden would have. During the in-game commentary, you are treated to two different broadcast teams. There’s Rece Davis, Jesse Palmer, and David Pollack for what’s practically regional games, and Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstriet for nationally televised matchups.
Gameplay
Regarding gameplay over the first few days, nothing seems too overpowered. However, there are some concerns.
With the default sliders, The running game is hard to contain. If your linebacker chooses the wrong gap to attack the run, it’s much harder to scrape back and get to the runner for a minimal gain. Also, tackling in open space is a challenge, as the game allows the user to make the play rather than relying on animations to magnetize the ball carrier to the defenders.
For competitive players, when playing against the CPU, you can still cheese certain plays and routes. Because of the custom hot routes, you can win against any coverage you can identify pre-snap. Now, the tackle animations are a bit repetitive. It’s still early in gameplay, but you may notice a trend in tackle variety.
However, there’s a lot more to like. For instance, star players feel like their real-life counterparts. When you play Quinn Ewers or Devin Neal, you feel like a candidate for the Heisman. When you choose to play at Michigan or Penn State, you feel like that program; running the ball with Nicholas Singleton feels like running at Beaver Stadium. Similar to Madden, EA College Football 25 also features player abilities.
Game Modes
There are six different game modes, eight if you count mini-games (more on that in a moment), and open practices. One game mode is Play Now, where you can play locally against a friend or the CPU. There’s also Play a Friend, to play one of your friends online.
Dynasty is another mode, where users take control of a program and oversee nearly every aspect of building a collegiate powerhouse. Dynasty returns with custom conferences, adaptive recruiting, and the new 12-team College Football Playoff.
Road to Glory is similar to its prior iteration in NCAA 14, except NIL and your personal brand have become a significant part of the experience. Road to the CFP has you play ten online matchups to boost your team’s reputation and land in the CFP. The very popular yet polarizing Ultimate Team is also here. It may be a deal breaker for some Madden players, but you cannot export draft classes to Madden in this year’s game.
The reintroduction of minigames is a love letter to the old-school fans of NCAA and Madden from the PS2 era. Minigames such as Chase and Tackle and Pocket Prescence come back with an all-new look. There’s also some surprising variations, as well as some new ones, such as Scramble and Survive and Backfield Survival.
However, the uniform variety does feel underwhelming, as some would have expected several uniform combinations to be available.
In short, this game is loaded with content for local play, online gamers, and everyone in between, including cross-platform playing. Aside from a few critiques, the experience and the careful craft in making this game possible with such detail is worth the cost.
If you miss college football on the console or are a new fan of gameday on Saturday and want a rich simulation experience, buy EA Sports College Football 25 and let the game take you back to school.
