July 9th, 2013, was the last time EA Sports released an NCAA football video game.
And this July might be the closest thing to a summertime Christmas you can experience – next to your fantasy draft. Your decade of time in the waiting room for a new version to play will finally be over in just a few weeks. Well, maybe. We’ll get to the specifics in a little bit.
After an 11-year hiatus, EA Sports is releasing a new edition of college football for gaming fans nationwide. And you’ll be able to play as your favorite player on your favorite team if your team or alma mater falls into a particular category.
Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, and Washington State fans can have no fear; your teams and schools are in the game, just like EA famously states when you start the game. But if you went to a “smaller” school like Idaho? That program is not featured in the game, which means you won’t be able to play your games in the Kibbie Dome either.
You might ask why Idaho or their famous stadium isn’t in the game. Teams have to be part of the FBS system in college football to be included in the game, so if there are any FCS schools you prefer when running a team in Dynasty mode, you will either need to create a new school in Team Builder or choose an FBS school to avoid the extra time to add your program. It will only be a matter of time until unofficial downloads become available from users with a lot of creative energy and the ability to find time to pull off those projects.
Dynasty, Road to Glory, and Mascot Mashup modes were fan favorites for years and are still present in the new game, along with some new tweaks to gameplay like the pass meter and the ability to quickly change defenders and what they are doing with the right analog stick.
Some new features such as NIL, the transfer portal, and experiencing life as a student going to class to maintain an acceptable GPA sound interesting, but those of us who haven’t tested the game yet will need to wait and see what that looks like when the game drops next month. There are videos online showing how these features work, but some things don’t hit the same when you’re not the one doing the gaming.
If you recently played NCAA Football 14 or another version close in the year to that one, you may not see a drastic difference in the overall experience, and that’s ok. Sure, the graphics will be insane, and you get to play the game with realistic pageantry specific to your favorite team. Still, the most recent edition wasn’t a slouch in those departments, so don’t expect to be blown away if you played ‘14 recently. There is a noticeable jump from 1080p HD to 4K, but the gameplay will be where the noticeable differences jump off the screen.
If you haven’t played NCAA 14 in a while, you may have forgotten what an excellent job EA did. Sure, the new game looks incredible, but the previous version also looks great. Check out this simulation of Oregon against Ohio State. And if that doesn’t get you going, tell me you don’t feel like you’re watching a game at Autzen Stadium with this video.
One of the new gameplay features is wear and tear, which simulates a specific player’s endurance and how it impacts how they play. If tired, they might make a mistake they wouldn’t usually make if they were fresh. Players got tired and didn’t play as well in previous versions, but that would usually mean limited speed or burst but not the inability to control their limbs like they usually would. Smaller or weaker players will likely get smaller injuries quicker if they sustain big blows, just like in real life.
Another new feature is the passing meter, like a brainchild between the old passing controls and the kicking meter. In past versions, you could hold down the button to throw a bullet pass to the “X” receiver or tap the button to lob it to them. Neither option was guaranteed to hit the mark depending on the weather and how good of a QB you have, but now you control how close these features will land with reality.
Speaking of reality, you may not remember how eagerly you would “drop” your controller in frustration while telling your buddy the game is rigged, but we’ve all been there. So get ready – those moments are coming. Who knows, maybe you won’t laugh when your kid says it to you for the first time when they’re trying to beat you in a two-minute quarter game in high winds with dishes or mowing the lawn on the line.
And for those of you waiting to see if I will tell you why only some of you will be done waiting to play this much-anticipated release? If you didn’t invest in an Xbox Series X/S or a PlayStation 5 in recent memory, you won’t be playing as the game will not be ported to previous consoles, Xbox One or PlayStation 4, at least not for the launch. There may be a release for older consoles, but I’m willing to bet this game was designed with the hardware of the new consoles in mind. However, the latest release of Madden will be available on Xbox One and PlayStation 4, so maybe it will just be a matter of time before a version is available for those of us without next-gen consoles.
If you held off buying NCAA 14 since it skyrocketed in price, I have a feeling you will have a chance to name your price once the new game is released and most people invest in new consoles or dump the old games they were clinging to.
If you grew up on the old versions, you weren’t used to player likenesses or names on jerseys anyway.
EA College Football 25 is available for pre-order and will be released on July 16th.
