EA Sports College Football coming back!

[sovereignstar v2]

What are the chances this will be a good coach-only game?

[GrantDawg]

So very low, but we can hope for a miracle.

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[Passacaglia]

Looks like no PC.

https://gamerant.com/ea-sports-colle...orms-consoles/

[NobodyHere]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

Looks like no PC.

https://gamerant.com/ea-sports-colle...orms-consoles/

No PC no pass go. No collecting my $200.

[Mota]

We should know everything tomorrow! That's really exciting.

[britrock88]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

According to Gamestop, the game is going to be released on PC! I am so hoping that is true. I have an Xbox X, so I can play it if not, but PC opens up modding potential.

This always felt a little optimistic (not that I didn't cling to it as well). Womp womp.

[GrantDawg]

Yeah. They did finally bring Madden back to PC, so I had some hope.

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[GrantDawg]

The pre-order MVP bundle is $150. Holy Toledo!

Edit: NVM, that is the Madden/NCAA MVP bundle

[Kodos]

[Kodos]

WELCOME TO COLLEGE FOOTBALL 25 - EA SPORTS

Teambuilder and 32-team online dynasty are in.

[cartman]

Xbox online dynasty time again!

[Kodos]

I am PUMPED like Pumpy Tudors!

[cartman]

The Dynasty mode sure sounds like there will be a coach mode as part of the game.

[Kodos]

Want to know if conference realignment is in...

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Want to know if conference realignment is in...

Good question. You have to think so since it was in the old game and it is an even bigger thing now, but it is interesting that it wasn't mentioned in the release info.

[Flasch186]

They have the wave to the children’s hospital

Dayum


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[GrantDawg]

Booo! True, but boooo!

NEW EXTRA POINTS:

Many of my readers asked why EA CFB 25 isn't coming out on PC.

After asking around, I believe the answer has less to do with mods or NIL, and more to do with this:

Porting to PC is expensive. And the audience just isn't therehttps://t.co/ByDHV0hyab

— Matt Brown (@MattBrownEP) May 17, 2024

[Passacaglia]

That makes sense. I feel like NCAA hadn't been on PC for a while. Something like 2003?

EDIT: Is it crazy to buy an xbox or PS5 just to play this?

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Kodos

Want to know if conference realignment is in...

I wonder if licensing issues would cause that to be scrapped.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

EDIT: Is it crazy to buy an xbox or PS5 just to play this?

Would you play any other games? I remember buying a PS3 I think because I wanted The Show back in the day. If you're getting it for one game, I'd probably wait to see that it's not a dud first.

[Ksyrup]

My daughter already pre-ordered. I asked if they had career mode with recruiting and conference realignment but minus NIL and portal. I don't even want to deal with that crap in a game; I don't know how coaches can do it for a living. I mean, I have no problem with the fact that they exist and players get money and can go to whatever school and what-not, but it's undeniably a crappier experience for the fan and that's the only reason I'd play a game based on the sport.

[Kodos]

Yeah, I hope there is an option to turn the portal off. And I want to be able to make more sensible conferences than we have in real life.

[Kodos]

Inside the return of EA Sports College Football video game - ESPN

Interesting article on what it took to build the new game.

[Ksyrup]

My daughter's been sharing the "best of" Twitter comments on the new game. Apparently you can create your own player and manage your NIL and off-field activities, etc., and some of the comments are about the GTA crossover opportunities (especially at UGA).

[Edward64]

Any such thing as a good PS/2 and Xbox PC emulator?

[GrantDawg]

Mike Straw has had some first-hand contact with game footage and an insider giving him info. He says they still plan on getting it on PC in the future, either the next iteration or the one after.

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[GrantDawg]

Dola: the other big thing he has is there will be no cross play Dynasty. Another thing they hope for in the future, but not yet. He says they have done a lot to make the option game work well, and game fatigue is going to feel much more real. Over run your RB and he will wear down over the course of the game.

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[GrantDawg]

Double dola: They are shooting for the team builder app to be out at the beginning of July, before the release date.

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[GrantDawg]

I have a feeling we are getting an info drop today. This guy is an insider who last week went to an EA event where he had a chance to see/play the game but has been under embargo from releasing information:

Good morning! Would this be a particularly good morning to make sure you are subscribed to the extra points newsletter? Well, who can say. Certainly not me.

— Matt Brown (@MattBrownEP) May 29, 2024

[SirFozzie]

yeah, info's coming out.. The Athletic's reporter has a report of a couple hours of play.

Everything I learned about EA Sports’ College Football 25 after two hours of gameplay - The Athletic

As for playing the game mode, here’s what I learned over two hours.

The in-game playing experience is incredibly smooth and realistic

The first team I pulled up was Virginia Tech because I wanted to experience the Hokies’ “Enter Sandman” entrance. Unfortunately, “Enter Sandman” is not in the game — licensing Metallica songs is really expensive. It has been replaced by a generic rock theme that sounds somewhat familiar. So that was a disappointment. (“Jump Around” is also not played in games at Camp Randall Stadium, for similar reasons.) But the feeling quickly dissipated when I began playing the actual game.

If you take one thing away from reading this, it’s that running the ball is actually fun. The blocking AI is really well done, and players are rewarded for hitting the hole. The game has new physics-based tackling, based on where and how hard a hit is made, that looks much more realistic than Madden 24. Breaking tackles or falling forward through them becomes more likely if you follow blockers correctly.

The flip side is that playing defense is tougher. If you’re one of those people like me who used to just use the Hit Stick when your defender was close to a ball carrier, that won’t cut it anymore. For advanced players, the right joystick helps you switch between defensive players more quickly, which helps in the secondary and in some situations where close control of two players is necessary.

This is where the new Wear and Tear system comes into play. Not all hits are equal, but if a player is taking big hits, certain body parts on a model will turn orange and then red on the play screen to indicate his increased chance of injury. A player’s Strength attribute corresponds with how much impact he can take, and bigger players have more Strength. If you put a small wide receiver at QB and run the option, he’ll be more likely to get injured. The longer the game, the more the injury chances rise.


The passing game is revamped, as is kicking

As the quarterback, the ability to layer the football is the key. When you throw the ball, a meter appears above the receiver, similar to an option in Madden 24. Obviously, tapping or holding a button creates the difference between a floater and a rocket, but holding the button as long as you can to the end of the meter can impact the throw’s accuracy.

The same goes for kicking. The new meter has a ball rock left and right; you click and hold to get the accuracy, and then the power meter goes up the arrow. If you hold it to the very top into the red, the accuracy can take a hit. While I was playing as Penn State, Ohio State doinked a kick, so there is real downside. (I couldn’t tell whether there was a “doink” sound because of the noise in the room).

The playbooks have always differentiated college football games from Madden, and that’s the case again. College Football 25 has 134 different playbooks, part of 10 different offensive styles. I committed many delay of game penalties just looking through the playbooks. There are different menus for plays, ranging from coach suggestions to formations to concepts and more. The play menu design is essentially the same as Madden 24.

I spent a good 20 minutes with Wake Forest to test the Demon Deacons’ RPO slow-mesh offense. The RPO options include four different kinds of plays: read, peek, alert and glance. You can choose to throw a quick pass instead of hand off, but you have to do it quickly, or else you’ll be hit with an illegal man downfield penalty. That happened to me several times. I didn’t find any actual slow mesh plays, but a developer said they should be in the final game.

I also spent some time with Air Force to test the triple-option. One change in the option and RPO plays is that you tap a button to pull the ball as the quarterback, rather than pressing a button to hand it off like in the past. That was an adjustment. There are also two options on pitches: Similar to throwing the ball downfield, you can tap LB for a quick pitch or hold it for a stronger pitch.

The pre-snap options are deep
The capabilities players enjoy before the snap have also grown. You can adjust pass protection to go in a certain direction, an improved process from Madden 24. When calling a hot route, custom stems allow you to adjust how far downfield you want an out route to go. Senior quarterbacks can see more than freshmen, like the possibility of a blitz or a certain kind of defense.

And yes, there are custom playbooks and custom audibles. There’s also a two-minute warning, which will be new to college football this fall. Stadium Pulse is also back, and you can feel the loudest stadiums in the vibrating controller. As in the past, the play art on the field could be difficult to read, and audibles and hot routes may not work, depending on the crowd.

The experiences of playing as the game’s best players and as its worst players are very different. For those gamers coming back from the old NCAA games, linebackers can’t jump sky-high for interceptions and easily run with slot receivers anymore. (The defensive AI still drops easy interceptions from time to time as in the old games.)

To answer the question everyone asks me, is the gameplay just like Madden? Yes and no. I’m not allowed yet to speak on Madden 25, which is built on the same engine (as is normal). But the gameplay in College Football 25 is extremely smooth, and there are differences between the games, such as the playbooks, the kicking meter, player attributes, Stadium Pulse and more.


The sounds and visuals are what really stand out

The pageantry and the environments are what really separate college football from every other sport, and the video game reflects that.

EA Sports said it went through more than 1,000 photos per school to create 150 different stadiums. There are 16,000 different head combinations for players, including 240 shapes. The game took so long to make because it had to be created from scratch.

The average team has four helmets, three jerseys and three pants. Some have 20-plus options (hello, Oregon). You can see all the individual stitching in the jerseys because EA Sports employs a Creaform 3D handheld scanner that’s normally used for aerospace parts. Here, it’s used to scan cleats, gloves, helmets, jerseys and more, down to the tiniest detail. While NFL players have mostly the same equipment, college football has different apparel companies with unique designs. Those differences are noticeable in this game.

I’ve been asked whether helmets can be knocked off from a big hit. They cannot. Along those lines, the game does not have targeting penalties — controlling head placement is difficult to develop, and EA figured fans would just be annoyed about the rule like they are in real life.

The crowds are also unique. Michigan fans have the maize pom-poms. Missouri fans have the tiger tails. There are unique hand signs and Surrender Cobras. The student sections are positioned correctly, and we were told those fans will be seen standing during the game. Opposing fans and bands are also positioned in the correct spots in stadiums.

Penn State has the White Out. Tennessee has the checkerboard. Boise State has the Stripe Out. Even the Texas A&M red, white and blue crowd after 9/11 is in the game — I’m not sure how that one activates, but special crowd colors will happen for the biggest games in Dynasty mode. We were told some teams have called EA Sports to let them know of crowd blackout plans later this season to be included in the game.

We saw the turnover chainsaw at Oregon State and the waterfalls at Arkansas State. EA Sports showed how it motion-captured players with the trophies, which included making wooden versions of trophies for virtual mo-cap players to hold. To simulate ripping through a sign, mo-cap players pushed through pool noodles. For Bevo, Ralphie and the dog mascots, an EA staff member pretended to be the animal positioned around mo-capped virtual players.

What makes this game feel as real as anything is the sound. You really notice it when music kicks in after the opening kickoff. While “Enter Sandman” is not in the game, “Zombie Nation,” “Sandstorm,” “Tsunami” and “Mo Bamba” are. We see the Army Corps of Cadets jump up and down for “Tsunami” before kickoff, something the TV broadcast rarely shows. Beaver Stadium plays “Zombie Nation” after Penn State touchdowns. Every school has unique fan chants, as EA acquired thousands of assets from schools and in many cases had staff members replicate the cheers for recording. The studio also recorded 41 real game crowds over the last two years, from big to small programs. And yes, I saw sheet music for an instrumental version of “Neck.”

Chris Fowler was on hand in Orlando to talk about his commentating for the game, and it was clear he’s still quite upset that ESPN blocked him from being in the game in the past. ESPN itself is not in this game as a brand, but its commentators are. There is no ESPN logo on the score bug, which has been relocated to the bottom of the screen. There is no “College GameDay”. Because I was focused on so many other parts of the game, the lack of ESPN was not something I even noticed; it still sounds like college football with Fowler/Kirk Herbstreit and Rece Davis/Jesse Palmer/David Pollack on the call.

Several camera options can be flipped through quickly with the arrow pad. Most sit at different height levels behind the quarterback, but a broadcast-ish option from the side of the field is available.


Schools were invited to submit unique details of their stadium experience to EA.

What’s not in the gameplay

Mascot mode is not in the game, to answer a question I got a lot. Players do not have X-Factors like in past Madden games. Online Dynasty mode cannot be played across consoles, but that and Mascot mode could come in future games.

You will not be able to edit the attributes of real-life players in the rosters. You can edit created players, but there supposedly will be blocks to keep you from making a player like Arch Manning, who did not opt into the game. In recent days, a handful of starting players have tweeted that they’d like to be in the game and don’t know how to opt in. I don’t know if or when they will get updated.

We did not get any more details on Ultimate Team and college football legends who could be in it, nor was there more information about Team Builder, which allows gamers to create schools. But both features will be in the game.

[GrantDawg]

They can stop now, I am officially at max hype. They van only let me down from here.

[GrantDawg]

I'm going to write a LOT more about Dynasty mode and RTG tomorrow, but yes. You can start your career as a coordinator and move up to other jobs at the end of the season, as well as manage (hire, fire) your staff as a head coach. WAY deeper system than '14 https://t.co/OrppE7iV7C

— Matt Brown (@MattBrownEP) May 29, 2024

[Kodos]

This is sounding really promising. I've already made my preorder, so now it's just a matter of waiting for July 19th. It's been a lonnnnnnnnnnnng time coming.

[JonInMiddleGA]

Seeing that there's no NIL in Dynasty mode (which has a 30 season cap), it's only in Road To Glory (which now starts in college not HS).

Not sure how that really represents college football in 2024.

[RainMaker]

My only concern is with defense being hard. That seems to be a trend in Madden too.

Everything else sounds great but I'm going to need some gameplay footage soon.

[RainMaker]

And while I'm sure I won't hit it, I don't understand the 30 year cap. Everyone has 500 GB hard drives now. Save file size should not be an issue.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Seeing that there's no NIL in Dynasty mode (which has a 30 season cap), it's only in Road To Glory (which now starts in college not HS).

Not sure how that really represents college football in 2024.

People are going to freak out, but that actually makes sense to me.

[Kodos]

'EA Sports College Football 25' Dynasty Mode Breakdown

Yes! Between this and Teambuilder, my two biggest questions have been addressed.

CUSTOM CONFERENCES

Custom conferences are back, but with more depth than ever before. Not only can you move teams around, but you can change conference rules and create custom protected opponents. That means if you want the SEC to go to nine conference games each season with the conference championship game being played at the top-ranked team’s home stadium rather than at a neutral site, you can do that.

======

TEAMBUILDER

You will be able to import teams you create from the TeamBuilder website into Dynasty mode and play as the school you created. You can design uniforms, helmets, and fields to import into the game, and will be able to download created schools made by others if you want a custom option but aren’t big into graphic design. Full details on TeamBuilder will be arriving later this summer.

[kingnebwsu]

I remember bringing Kentucky to a national championship in a FOFC online dynasty. Feels like a lifetime ago.

New game sounds very promising. I haven't played sports video games in years but I will definitely be trying this one.

[GrantDawg]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

People are going to freak out, but that actually makes sense to me.

Reading even more, it makes even more sense. College's have a "brand" rating that is basically the NIL. The players will make decisions based on the money they can make, but the coaches won't be doing the negotiating nor should they.

[RainMaker]

Originally Posted by Kodos

'EA Sports College Football 25' Dynasty Mode Breakdown

Yes! Between this and Teambuilder, my two biggest questions have been addressed.

This is really good news. Curious if Team Builder will have some restrictions so that you can't use other licensed teams in it. Being able to swap in a few FCS schools will be great though.

[whomario]

Originally Posted by RainMaker

And while I'm sure I won't hit it, I don't understand the 30 year cap. Everyone has 500 GB hard drives now. Save file size should not be an issue.

MLB the Show doesn't and NBA 2K has it way higher at 80. So yeah, i don't think that's the reason (or those guys are better developers). I know it can be a factor in games where simming slows down or there's crashes but that's games with significantly more 'data points' involved that need to be calculated and history that gets stored.

Not any more than gut feeling but i'd wager the guess that they assume that people are more likely to be ready to buy a new version when they can't just stick with their save(s) forever and ever. Not sure it's that big a demographic (they definitely exist) but every bit counts for EA i guess. Pretty sure all EA franchises have a cap of some sort with 30 here being on the longer side i think (i think FIFA has only 15).

At least here it's a little less consequential than with pro games except maybe the last 1-3 recruitment classes being a little less important.

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

Seeing that there's no NIL in Dynasty mode (which has a 30 season cap), it's only in Road To Glory (which now starts in college not HS).

Not sure how that really represents college football in 2024.

It's disappointing that RTG won't start in HS, I liked starting there and seeing where I'd be able to be guaranteed a starting spot. Any reason why?

[GrantDawg]

My guess? Just to cut something out that they would have to program. What they are including is so aggressive I imagine every little bit they didn't have to deal with helps.
As for the 30 year cap, I agree it makes little sense. EA has always had caps for whatever reason.

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[Kodos]

Honestly, it has to be a minute percentage of players who ever remotely approach hitting 30 years.

[whomario]

Originally Posted by GrantDawg

My guess? Just to cut something out that they would have to program. What they are including is so aggressive I imagine every little bit they didn't have to deal with helps.
As for the 30 year cap, I agree it makes little sense. EA has always had caps for whatever reason.

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To offer the more cynical POV: They also need new Feature for next year

[JonInMiddleGA]

Originally Posted by whomario

MLB the Show doesn't and NBA 2K has it way higher at 80.

NHL this year is just 25.

[GrantDawg]

The main non-gameplay improvement I'm excited about? They say the UI is much faster than Madden. You don't have the lag between each menu that Madden had always had.

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[GrantDawg]

EA has started releasing rankings, and it is pretty obvious they have some of these just to get people buzzing. Things like having Colorado at number 8 overall on offense and number 20 on defense, while having Ole Miss at number 13 on offense and not in the top 25 on defense.

[sovereignstar v2]

It would be great if NDSU blew up Colorado in Week 1