Sports games have always had a special place in my heart since I was a kid and were some of my first console games. Many hours were spent playing College Football 97’ on the Sega Genesis. So, when EA shut down the production and development of college football games after the release of the 2014 installment, it was a gut check for fans like me. Fast forward a meager 11 years later, and the glorious College Football franchise has returned.

A huge point that EA touted in their marketing leading up to CFB 25’s release was the overall update to in-game presentation and how that would be a main focus. Schools and teams have long standing traditions of pre-game entrances and post game celebrations and the ones I was able to watch all looked great. So, bravo to EA for taking the time to ensure these were included and for taking great detail to get the presentation of such things right.

One aspect of College Football 25 I was super excited to see was the updated presentation during gameplay. In previous versions of the game, all you got was your play-call window and maybe some game stats. Now, I was able to see multiple windows of information that were directly tied to what was going on in the game. Replays, stats, conference standings, or even the wear and tear status of my team’s players—all of it presented on screen, easy to see.

Commentary for various modes was great—at first. Yet, over time, it became repetitive and stale. While EA did a great job bringing in multiple actual college football analysts to do voice lines (much like they do with NFL analysts in Madden), some of the in-game voice lines get repeated often, which I ran into on multiple occasions during dynasty mode. 

Other times, it did not sync up to the situation in the game. As an example, as I was playing a team, the commentary came up and reported on a game happening elsewhere. The problem was that they mentioned the team I was playing but in a completely different game.

Basic tackling and hitting feel good and smooth. Player animations could be a little over the top, but most on-screen player movement and interactions were otherwise solid. However, some general physics and player movement issues become more noticeable as you play over time. On multiple occasions, I would attempt a dive or a hurdle as a runner, only for a collision to occur that reset my players’ model back to the ground to continue forward momentum. It's not game-breaking, but definitely looks weird, any way you slice it.

While playing through dynasty games, the on-screen player cards would often populate with minimal amounts of informational data. Occasionally, uniform settings for myself or my opponent would not carry over into the game. This was a bummer when trying to get a specific look for that rivalry matchup or online game.

Overall gameplay and controls feel snappy, and yet fluid, at least once I got used to them. Multiple new gameplay systems were added to make the on the field action feel more immersive, which carried through the different game modes on offer.s.

Switch Stick is one of CFB 25’s new systems. While I never quite got the hang of it, the basics are that you use the right stick to switch to another defender down field to make a more concise play on the ball during passing plays. It's a dangerous weapon for advanced players, but for an average player like myself, I didn’t get too much use out of it. It's still a cool addition, though.

The new passing control types give users as much or as little control over their passing as they want. I settled on the Revamped Passing option, as it allowed me the control that I wanted for my passing attack during passing plays, yet still let me just sling the rock to my receivers when necessary. Classic Passing and Revamped Passing are easier to use and give off arcade-style vibes. Placement Passing and Placement & Accuracy passing types allow for much more in-depth control over the positioning of each throw. Each option provides a different style for each player; you just have to find which one works best for you.

Thankfully, College Football 25 includes myriad game modes to help refine on-the-field skills, and while some might find them helpful, they weren’t really my preferred way to learn. This includes a separate set of Mini-Games that offer different types of challenges. They are fun, don’t get me wrong, but none of them just didn’t stick with my specific way of learning a new game. A full-scale standard practice mode is available where you can pick any team your heart desires and hop right onto the field to try to refine your craft. 

The new Wear and Tear system was a new addition that affected nearly every aspect of gameplay while on the field. In almost every play, players take hits, which causes wear and tear. Small or heavy damage is inflicted on various areas of the player, causing respective ratings to be directly affected by said damage. If there is too much wear and tear to an arm, your player might not tackle as well. Or too much damage taken to a leg slows down a player's running abilities.

This new system forced me to pay attention to my player’s health during the game, not just after the fact. By forcing me to monitor the health of all play players on every down, whether on offense or defense, it added a dynamic new wrinkle into how I approached each game. This wear and tear system reaches across all game modes, even when simulating games. Thankfully, for those players who find this new system to be somewhat oppressive, it can be turned off or tuned down in the options menus.

Custom Celebrations are a welcome addition and a nice touch. Easily accessible during a game, you can now celebrate after almost any play with any preset options. I enjoyed throwing down the Heisman pose after scoring the game-winning touchdown in the national championship game. Strip the flesh, salt the wound, right?

Team Builder is a great return for the game, and I had solid fun with it. Using EA’s Team Builder website you build a school from scratch, customize up to 5 different uniforms, and design your team's field to look as normal or crazy as possible. You can then download your creation into the game and use it in various different modes. This was a fun experience and adds a fantastic wrinkle to creating a new college powerhouse from scratch.

Players can customize offensive and defensive playbooks in the Creations area to fit their personal play style. I went crazy here, creating several playbooks on both sides of the ball to try out in my dynasty modes. I might have had too much fun, really. These custom playbooks from the community can also be downloaded and shared, adding another great feature.

I absolutely have to take the time to note the accessibility options available in the settings menus which can be modified for an individual’s use in game. These include menu narration and various visual options, such as meter speeds and size. The various options are a step in the right direction to help make the game as accessible as possible.

Dynasty: Offline and Online

This is where the nostalgia factor hits the hardest for me, and quite possibly, this is the mode that made College Football video games what they are today. It is hands down my favorite mode of the entire game, and one I will be in quite often for long play sessions.

The depth of Dynasty mode is in the weekly grind between recruiting and preparing your team for the next game. Recruiting is revamped, and requires more attention to detail for the specific players you're after. I'm actually a horrible recruiter, so keeping an eye on top recruits and their motives from week to week keep things interesting. Thankfully, for those who choose to take an easier path, there is an 'Auto-Recruiting' option is available.

Customizable conferences and schedules for player-controlled teams, while not a new addition to the franchise, it means more now than in the previous iterations. I almost always put my low-rank team up against a perennial powerhouse, knowing we’re likely to get destroyed. And that's the fun part. It shouldn't happen by all accounts, but what if it did?

Dynamic Crowds play a big role in Dynasty modes. This improvement directly backs up EA’s plan to improve the game's presentation, as a huge emphasis is placed on crowd noise and stadium pulse. Home crowds were smaller or larger based on how my team was doing. Home or away didn't matter; I could feel the crowd surge and visually see the effect on my team. This is an excellent addition to the game to try to bring that “college atmosphere” to the players.

Online Dynasty matches the offline experience, just with the ability to invite friends or other players to join you. Importing my custom team from the Team Builder website and running through dynasty mode against friends and other players was a fun experience. Custom schedules and conferences made games more impactful against other dynasty members. Recruiting against each other also made for some intriguing moments. 

Road to Glory (Single Player Offline)

This was quite possibly the most hyped-up mode when the game was announced in development. I was excited about this mode, mainly to dive into a first-person type of experience. This is about as close to an RPG-style mode as you can get for this game. And for players who are not into repetitive game modes, this is where they will get lost.

In Road To Glory (RTG), you create a player, pick your school, control your week to week schedule, and play some games. That’s all that this mode really is. While I enjoyed playing games and “side questing” from week to week, the repeating options can get a little boring after a while. And while the game throws some obstacles in your way occasionally, each week feels like a repeat of the one before it. When the season ends, options on how to move to the next season are presented.

Something I’m looking forward to that EA has mentioned is gamers will be able to export their RTG player into this year's version of Madden. So, the road to becoming a superstar football player does not end when your college career is over. Oh no, it is only just the beginning of your journey.

Ultimate Team

I have to start by saying that Ultimate Team modes are quite possibly my least favorite feature in any EA Sports game. However, the challenge mini games for this mode are actually kind of nice. Personally, I enjoyed completing most of the challenges. I found that the challenges inside Ultimate Team actually feel like an increasingly more efficient way for newer players to learn the gameplay flow, versus using just the mini-games and practice mode.

Challenges are a seasonal mode in which players play and earn rewards, keeping the mode replayable, even for players like myself who aren’t fans of the ultimate team model. By providing a specific goal, they are easy to accomplish, regardless of skill level. This makes it feel like a fresh way to get new players into both Ultimate Team and the game in general.

Road to the College Football Playoff  (Online Only)

Having my roots in fighting games, this mode feels exactly like that, and that's not a bad thing. I personally enjoyed this mode, even though I got completely annihilated in multiple games. The point of this mode is literally a ranked head-to-head, winner-gets-the-glory mode. Bring your best gameplan each game; your opponent will show no mercy against you here. Like playing a friend in an online game, the connections felt solid and stable.

Wrapping It Up

When the dust settles, College Football 25 is a great game and an excellent return for the franchise for EA. The development team absolutely knocked it out of the park, taking the time and care to craft something really special. While not perfect, the attention to detail put into this project shows on many levels. I would recommend the game for any football fan to jump into, as it has a little something for everyone at every skill level—even an old washed-up gamer like myself.

Full Disclosure: A copy of this game was provided by PR for the purposes of helping with this review. Reviewed on PlayStation 5.