EA College Football 25 is coming on July 19, probably a little earlier for me, as I expect to review the game.
Since my brief preview, I've chomped at the bit for some extended time with what felt like arguably the most fun football video game I've ever played.
As the game's release draws nearer, I've already planned my approach to reviewing College Football 25 and quenching the thirst that has been building for over a decade.
Here are the ten things I can't wait to do in EA College Football 25.
Check Player Ratings and Likenesses
Player likenesses are probably the most significant story associated with the return of college sports video games. I got a glimpse at many of the likenesses, but I didn't have time to do the sort of comparisons I'd like to do overall.
I'll do that first when I get my hands on the game to gauge how accurate some of the renders are, especially for the more high-profile players.
I'll also be taking a look at the player ratings. I'll pull up Athlon, several mock drafts, and similar reference material to see how closely EA's ratings are related to the expert evaluations. We know EA enlisted the help of Pro Football Focus for player ratings, but I didn't get to see what most of the stars were rated in the game.
Forbes VettedFor You
Explore the Roster Editing Suite
During the preview, one of the biggest issues we discovered was the limitation on player editing and roster sharing. In the old NCAA Football games, users had free reign to edit and share rosters without limitations.
Because of the addition of Name, Image, and Likeness players, the amount of editing allowed has been limited. We are still determining how limited it will be, and that's one of the first things I'll check.
Create a School with TeamBuilder
I'm over the moon for the return of the TeamBuilder website. I'm hopeful it will also be available as a mobile application. I'd love to see EA give users early access to the website before the game launches, but that might not happen.
Before I play a game, I will likely find out just how deep this school-creation suite can go.
Start a Dynasty Mode
We learned a lot about Dynasty mode during our preview, but there are a ton of under-the-hood things that you'll never know during a short stint with the game. I'll start a Dynasty, simming through a few weeks to gauge player progression, injuries, the in-season presentation, and awards races.
This process will give me a better idea of what to expect during my Dynasty runs.
Create a QB for Road to Glory
I may play Road to Glory in several positions, but I plan to start with a QB. That will give me the best opportunity to control multiple aspects of the gameplay and significantly impact my school's success.
Start a Road to Glory Career
I'd like to see how unique some of the side quests are and whether or not the Wear-and-Tear system is a thing for my RTG character. I'm going with a dual-threat QB, and he might wind up playing for the Miami Hurricanes since that was my favorite college program when I was younger.
During my second run, I'll probably play middle linebacker in the Big Ten. We were told the entire RTG run is designed to last 10-20 hours of gameplay.
Play Michigan vs. Ohio State in The Big House
Speaking of the Big Ten, we got to see the atmosphere for a game between the Michigan Wolverines and Ohio State Buckeyes. It was impressive to see the level of detail and frenzied environment EA was able to create.
Even if it's just a Play Now game, I will fire this one up. Because I’ve already played 4 full games, I have a good gauge on gameplay, this piece will either confirm my original thoughts or kick off a new conversation.
Watch the CPU Play Georgia vs. Florida State
Call me crazy, but I enjoy putting Madden on SuperSim, turning the simulation speed to Slow, and selecting "Jump to the End" to watch a game play-by-play on a TV-style broadcast camera.
It looks phenomenal, and thankfully, this functionality is in EA College Football 25. I started watching Georgia play Florida State at the preview, but we ran out of time. I will have this one run back while I review the game.
There are a few reasons: It gives me a good appreciation for the visual fidelity and presentation elements. Watching the sim shows how the CPU calls plays and it makes for great B-roll on a YouTube channel.
Play 5 Games to Road To the College Football Playoff
I love franchise modes more than anything in sports games, but I'm also highly competitive, so much so that I can start to neglect my franchise mode experiences in search of competitive encounters.
Road to the College Football Playoff will be the game's competitive mode, and I'll spend a good amount of time there. Once my review is done, I will try to limit myself to a couple of these contests per gaming session, but during the review process, I'll be sure to log at least five.
I can't wait to see which schools are chosen most often and how good of a hand users have on the ranking system, which is supposed to reward you for winning with lower-tiered teams.
Getting online head-to-head games will provide the final piece of the gameplay puzzle for me.
Check into Ultimate Team
While Ultimate Team in EA's football games isn't one of my favorite modes, I'd be lying and doing the community a disservice if I didn't give it an in-depth look.
I suspect Ultimate Team will give us our only access to legends and other goodies. Unfortunately, we learned very little about how the mode will work in College Football 25, so by the time the game is released, I could be getting my first taste of the experience.
Be on the lookout for more coverage of the game as we approach the release and my full review.
