EA finally released CFB 25, is it good?

NCAA Football 14 was released a little over 11 years ago now. It would be the last in EA’s College Football game series due to legal disputes over player likenesses. Fans of games and college football simply contented themselves with replaying the old NCAA games during that time, hoping that one day a new game would be released. 

Hope arrived in 2021 when in NCAA vs. Alston the Supreme Court ruled that the NCAA’s rules against player compensation was impermissible paving the way for Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL). This allowed players to be paid for appearing in commercials or, in this case, video games. Shortly afterward EA announced that a new college football game was on the way. 

Three years after the official announcement EA College Football 25 was released on July 19, 2024. Many could not wait for that day and millions of players would pay an extra $30 on top of the games $70 price tag in order to get early access a few days before the game dropped.

I hate to admit it but I was one of those people. I simply could not wait for this game to come out. As someone who loves college football more than the NFL and would constantly play NCAA 13, I sadly lost my copy of NCAA 14, I just could not wait to get my hands on the newest game that EA developers had promised would not just be a Madden reskin. 

That was a fear that many had, including my brother. EA has, over the recent years, developed a reputation of wanting only money and simply cranking out bad reskins of sports games like Madden and rushing out unfinished games like Battlefield 2042. I was hopeful though as the developers had had a lot more time to develop CFB 25 than their yearly rendition of Madden.

I can enthusiastically say that my hope was paid back in full. This game is simply awesome, by far one of the most fun games I have played in ages, especially from one of the big game companies. It is everything that we were promised, and after playing it for over a week now I can give my opinions on the good things and a few of the iffy parts of the game.

First off is the user interface, it is extremely easy to use and understand while also not looking bland like most Madden games do now. 

The best part of it is the home screens of the game, from the main menu to the menus of Dynasty mode and Road to Glory. When you first open the game you pick your favorite school and the home screen is customized to that school. 

I, of course, picked Louisiana, and it looks so clean. The biggest part is a close up picture of senior quarterback Chandler Fields rocking the throwback uniform introduced last season. The part that I found really cool though was a ticket stub they have in the bottom left of the collage that is from the USL – Texas A&M game in the 1996 season.

It isn’t just the main menu either, depending on what school you are in Dynasty or Road to Glory the menu and background changes to match it showing flags and school symbols old and new. It is a really nice touch to ensure that it is not just a boring screen that you just skip through as fast as possible to get to the next game.

The gameplay itself is my favorite part about the entire game, which it should be. The game feels totally different than Madden does and has a presentation unlike anything EA has ever put together. Every game feels authentic and real and the developers did an excellent job of presenting the stadiums, game crowds, and even each team’s run out. It all looks incredible, but it plays even better.

The stick movement when you run the ball is so smooth and easy to use, and if you know what you are doing you can use everything at your disposal from juking to spinning to hurdling. The biggest improvement though is passing.

A completely new passing system was introduced in CFB 25, different even from Madden. The developers call it “Revamped Passing” and it allows for far more ball control, specifically dealing with its trajectory. It allows players to throw like they never could in Madden, making plays many would not dare make if they were not played CFB 25. 

This is especially true because of the tweaks the developers made to the defensive side of the ball. In this game defense is not everything as it truly replicates the feeling of watching college players, as many miss tackles or tackle poorly, allowing their target to break them. Conversely, hitting feels far heavier in this game, as if each hit actually packs power behind it.

Those hits though now actually have effects in the game with another new feature introduced called “Wear and Tear.” The system emulates all players who can get injured over the course of a game or season depending how many hits they take, meaning that depending on the location of that wear and tear certain player stats will be reduced. 

While some have issues with this system, usually opting to turn it off, I think it brings more realism to the game and grounds it. I think it is an especially cool system to have for Dynasty and Road to Glory, the two game modes that are loved by everyone who played the older NCAA games. 

Dynasty allows you to become a coach and take control of a program, giving you control of games and recruiting to build yourself up to become national powerhouses. It is an exciting prospect to be sure, especially to fans of teams in the Group of 5 or Power 4 teams that are historically bad. 

I began two dynasties, a solo one as the University of Wyoming Cowboys, and an online dynasty as the Ragin Cajuns. Recruiting is honestly the most fun for me, digging through the thousands of recruits from one to five stars in order to find the one player that could completely change the program. In an online dynasty there is nothing more fun than when I snake recruits from my brother. 

Recruiting also runs into the transfer portal, a thing that divides many college football fans, but it nonetheless a very fun feature in the game. It allows you to grab players that have had a year or more of development that can make an immediate impact on your program.

Something very important when playing, whether on Dynasty, Road to Glory, or just a quick game with your friends is home field advantage. The developers did a great job of capturing how huge home field advantage is for college football.

Going into Death Valley, the Big House, or Beaver Stadium is the worst thing ever. You cannot audible plays or hot routes, a lot of the time you can’t even tell what play you are running or what buttons your receivers are. 

It is not just the big schools either, if you are a smaller program and doing good you will get a smaller taste of that. Since I do so well in my online dynasty my friends will complain about how hyped Cajun Field will get. 

Speaking of Cajun Field, it looks incredible in the game. Shockingly enough the stadium is actually what it will look like post home side renovations when it officially becomes Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium. The team running out to the fight song from the tunnel was insane to watch the first time. I do wish that they had our all black uniform though.

Road to Glory is the other big mode of the game, and it is just as cool as Dynasty. Unlike in Dynasty where you take over a whole program, in Road to Glory you become a player. You make a player, choosing your stars and which school you go to before trying to become a legend. 

You can build up your brand and make decisions that will have positive or negative results such as one funny interaction where you can actually be blocked by a classmate. You also have to be aware of your GPA because if it drops to 2.0 you will be unable to play in games due to being ineligible. 

I have done three Road to Glories so far as a quarterback and two running backs. The quarterback I just made myself and chose to be a four star, committing to Louisiana. After sitting a year behind Fields, where we went to the CFB Playoffs, I got a chance to start my sophomore season.

Now my sophomore season was pure insanity for one main reason, and it was not even my doing. I helped the Cajuns to a Sun Belt Championship and second straight berth in the CFB Playoffs, but I did not lead the team. That honor goes to Elijah Davis, one of Louisiana’s actual running backs. Davis somehow ran for over 1,800 yards and double digit touchdowns, earning the Heisman. It still baffles me that it happened.

The only complaints I really have are with the way the sim engine works and some of the logic in rankings as it gets a bit weird in Dynasty. Teams like NC State and Charlotte are going deep into the Playoffs while a 3-3 Alabama will be ranked in the top 10. Luckily EA has already released a patch to try and fix this and other minor bugs. Any other complaints I have are just from me being bad at sports games.

I honestly think this is one of the best games I have played in recent years, especially coming from one of the big AAA companies that are associated more with wanting money than a quality product. It is a lot of fun and will be my number one tool this upcoming semester to procrastinate my class assignments and staying up till two in the morning.