Now that EA Sports College Football 25 has been available for nearly a month and I’ve logged over 75 hours played just rebuilding random Sun Belt Conference and Mid-American Conference programs into absolute powerhouses, it’s time to talk about the good and… the bad. I’m not here to be a hater and roast EA Sports for proving that it doesn’t care about its player base. That remains true, unfortunately. I’ve admittedly had way more fun playing this game than I have had playing any version of Madden in years but it could’ve been so much better.
We aren’t here to talk about the annoying drumline background music or the lack of uniform combinations and overall customization because those are small quality-of-life changes that will almost certainly be addressed in future updates and patches. We’re here to talk about why we continue to let EA Sports rob us of our happiness every single year. We waited 11 years for this one and it still missed the mark. Sigh.
Disclaimer: Although I may say I’m good at video games, I am, in fact, not. I’m a very casual player but I’ve dabbled in nearly every game mode from Road to Glory to Dynasty to even Ultimate Team. Still, there is plenty to discuss and I love to complain, so let’s dive in.
Gameplay
For the “This game is just another version of Madden!” crowd, I’m here to tell you that you’re wrong. The gameplay is the best part of this game. It feels quite different from past versions of Madden and even NCAA Football 14 –– from the new passing mechanics and wear and tear system to the diverse playbooks that offer tons of exciting plays we’re used to seeing in college football. For those who complain that the gameplay is unrealistic and players shouldn’t be breaking three tackles and hurdling their way to the endzone, have you watched a college football game recently? Does defense ever exist? Barely. The developers nailed the overall game flow and excitement that college football regularly offers. All in all, these single-player sports games get stale quickly and it’s always been up to us, the players, to switch it up and make it more fun.
Stadium pulses are cool and make the game more challenging but it’s essentially game-breaking in College Football 25. Playing against Texas A&M at Kyle Field or Penn State at Beaver Stadium is truly difficult and makes for a frustrating gameplay experience, especially for casual players. You won’t be able to make audibles or even see what routes your receivers are running –– it is infuriating but fun at the same time. If you’re in the middle of an Arkansas State dynasty rebuild while playing on Heisman difficulty, you will be humbled the moment you step inside any of the top 25 hardest stadiums to play in. But, that’s the name of the game –– if you are expecting to upset #1 ranked Georgia with a team like Old Dominion, you’re the one being unrealistic.
Road to Glory
Alright, I’m going to start complaining.
Picture this: You’re loading up the game on release day and are excited to create your own freshman skill player to take the nation by storm. You choose the underdog archetype because choosing the elite archetype sounds too easy as well as a low-profile school that is weak at your chosen position and you start playing. You post an impressive freshman season with minimal playing time but somehow climb your way up to first on the depth chart. A new season begins and your coach messages you saying that you’re bumped down to fourth on the depth chart despite being a higher overall. I get it –– I am complaining about not getting playing time as a freshman and sophomore. The thing is… I played wide receiver for the Buffalo Bulls, whose highest-rated receiver is a 74 overall. Come on, man.
Aside from that, it just felt incomplete. The gameplay itself is awesome as you are player-locked and can opt to use the on-field camera, which feels like you’re really playing in the game. But, everything else was just lackluster. Small quality-of-life glitches make for an annoying menu experience. Sometimes, the wear and tear system is simply too strong, especially for quarterbacks and your player’s body is lit up in red indicating an increased risk of injury. The in-between “tasks” like answering text messages from classmates to go to college parties or maintaining your GPA feel far too tedious, as well. As Cardale Jones once said, we ain’t here to play school.
Dynasty
It’s time for the section that I have absolutely zero good things to say about –– the Dynasty game mode, which was by far the most appealing game mode leading up to release, in my opinion. Dynasty is honestly terrible in nearly all aspects and was supposed to be the marquee game mode. Recruiting is incredibly fun and it feels so good to find hidden gems but the UI menus themselves are so glitchy that it makes it nearly impossible to enjoy the process. Sometimes, player stats and information won’t show or a rival that generated less interest will somehow jump your program and sign the targeted prospect. I was close to throwing my controller through my monitor on multiple occasions.
We haven’t even talked about the simulation experience. EA Sports clearly didn’t want to have such large rating gaps because there’s no reason a program like Arkansas State should be 79 overall after posting a combined 11-26 record across the last three seasons. This makes for a truly wild experience when simulating games. Teams that aren’t good are winning their respective conferences and making miraculous playoff runs. The seeding logic is god awful, too, as four-loss teams make it to the CFP when other teams with fewer losses held necessary tiebreakers. Having weird things happen under the new expanded playoff format is understandable but it feels extreme at times.
Updates and patches could very easily fix this game mode but EA Sports hasn’t cared about franchise or dynasty mode in a long time –– ever since Ultimate Team became its main cash cow. There isn’t even a reason to address Ultimate Team because it is a copy-and-paste version of Ultimate Team in Madden and has been pay-to-win for a decade now.
