Summary
EA Sportsis releasing its first college football game in over 10 years, andCollege Football 25has quite a few changes from its predecessor,NCAA Football 14. SinceNCAA Football 14 wasreleased in 2013, video game technology has come a long way. This has given EA a lot of new ways toupdate the series withCollege Football 25.
There seems to have been a larger emphasis on immersion inCollege Football 25than in previous titles. EA has taken steps to capture the unique feel of eachcollege represented inCollege Football 25, making the game feel more unique. This is a nice change of pace from a series that largely felt like a re-skinned version ofMaddenin its previous incarnations.
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10College Football 25’s Mascots Help Capture Teams’ Identities
College Football 25 Includes 50 Mascots
One major change fromNCAA Football 14being made inCollege Football 25isthe new game’s approach to mascots. According toEA, the company contacted alumni and the schools that are represented in the game to get a better understanding of what made each school’s mascot well-loved. Instead of every mascot in the game acting the same, the 50 different mascots represented all have some unique qualities that are taken directly from the way their real-life counterpart acts. Of the mascots, 40 are people in mascot suits, and 10 are real animals like UT’s bull, Bevo.
NCAA Football 14also included school mascots, including the fan favorite mode Mascot Mashup which allowed players to play with teams of only mascots. Sadly, it looks as though Mascot Mashup won’t be making an appearance inCollege Football 25. However,the previous game didn’t have the same amount of research and attention to detailput into capturing the feel of the real school mascots.College Football 25will be a real treat for any students or alumni from the schools represented who will recognize these school traditions.
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9Realistic Traditions And Fanfare Create An Immersive Environment
College Football Includes Elements Like Marching Bands And Pre-Game Rituals
Mascots aren’t the only way thatCollege Football 25has stepped up its sense of realism sinceNCAA Football 14. Whether it’s Demon Deacon leading the team onto the field on a motorcycle or uniformed Army students firing off an artillery cannon,College Football 25recreates iconic pre-game rituals. This is another element of the new game that really adds to the feeling that players are truly at whatever college is depicted in the game. This also helps capture the more intimate and connected feel that college fans have with their team over typical fans of professional sports.
These elements inNCAA Football 14felt more generic. There wasn’t the same attention to detail given to the rituals of independent teams, instead, every team felt largely the same apart from stats and colors. By capturing the culture of teams inCollege Football 25, EA gives players a better window into the whole world of college sports, not just what’s happening on the field.
8Fully Realized Stadiums Make Each Match Unique
College Football 25 Includes Real Landmarks From College Stadiums
Another step EA took toward makingCollege Football 25more immersive than previous games was to include real-life elements of the college stadiums that were previously not seen. WhileNCAA Football 14did try to capture the look of each stadium, it didn’t have the same nitty-gritty details thatCollege Football 25has included that really show the game is going the extra mile.EA went to stadiums and made scansof things like Florida’s Gator head that is in the tunnel players take from the locker room to the field.
Including elements like Howard’s Rock at Clemson or Arkansas State’s waterfall gives players the feeling of actually being at the stadium where the games are taking place. Alumni and current students will enjoy playing games in a stadium they are intimately familiar with, while younger fans will get to look forward to stadiums at schools they may wish to attend in the future.
7Victory Celebrations Bring Players Into College Football’s New Era
Players Will Use Props To Celebrate Certain Events
College Football 25isn’t just upping the ante in terms of the game’s environment but also in terms of each team’s on-field antics. In response to things like turnovers or touchdowns, players will do a variety of exciting celebrations including a range of different props. This will range from simple props like players dunking the ball into a tiny basketball hoop carried by a teammate to more elaborate ones like players gathering around a massive throne to celebrate the one who scored a touchdown.
NCAA Football 14kept the celebration animations much more reservedand grounded. How a player feels about this change will likely be based on their personal preferences. Some may find it fun to have such over-the-top antics going on, while others may feel it detracts too much from the game. While these animations will surely grow stale over time, players will likely get a kick out of them for at least the first few times they show up.
6College Football 25 Makes Extensive Use Of Motion Capture
College Football 25 Uses Motion Capture For On- And Off-Field Elements
According toIMDb,NCAA Football 14credits only a single motion-capture athlete for the entire game.College Football 25,on the other hand, used an entire team of motion-capture athletes to replicate not just the gameplay, but many of the game’s off-field elements too. For example, the game’s new celebration animations were also done in motion capture.
EA Sports went so far as to construct a two-story ramp to replicate Clemson’s field entrance and also recreated other iconic runouts in motion capture like Penn State bursting through a gate, or Wisconsin players jumping to tap a banner.
Anextensive motion capture teamnot only helps create more realistic movements but also provides a variety in the way players move in the game. By having an entire group of motion capture athletes,College Football 25has been able to create some truly updated visuals since the previous installment in the franchise.
5College Football 25’s Crowd Influences The Game
College Football 25 Uses A New Stadium Pulse Meter
College is the first time most football players are going to encounter massive stadiums full of enthusiastic fans cheering either for or against them. Understandably, the state of a crowd can influence how a player handles a game. This is something thatCollege Football 25has taken steps to emulate throughits new Stadium Pulse Meter. This meter tracks how the game is going and how involved the crowd would be. When the crowd is hyped up, they can influence the game in several ways, like making it difficult for the visiting quarterback to track his passing routes.
NCAA Football 14didn’t have any features that involved the crowd mechanically like this. This is another way whereCollege Football 25is taking strides to differentiate the feel of college football from pro sports, giving players more of a variety between franchises that are based in college or at the pro level. This also allows players to build momentum with a crowd, similar to how teams do in actual sporting events. This also gives players a mechanical home-field advantage.
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4Player Abilities Rewards Experienced Players In College Football 25
College Football 25 Includes Special Skills Called Player Abilities
Another wayCollege Football 25has innovated its gameplay to make the franchise more true to college sports is with Player Abilities. These are individual skills that more experienced players have. This reflects the very real advantages that teams have when their players are upperclassmen and have more experience playing at the college level.Player Abilities allow individual players to do things that others can’tlike side-step defenders or ignore the crowd meter when throwing a pass. This really sets these players apart and gives players a reason to use them besides simply having better stats.
NCAA Football 14didn’t have this same level of individualization when it came to players. Passing to a specific receiver, for example, only mattered more about who was open at the time.College Football 25will give players a tougher decision, as they will also need to know which of their receivers have certain abilities that help with the circumstances of each play. Players will also want to know what defenders are better at picking off passes. This adds a whole new dynamic that wasn’t present in the previous game.
3In-Depth Play-By-Play Helps With Player Immersion
College Football 25 Includes Five Iconic College Football Announcers
The final bit of new immersive world-building thatCollege Football 25brings to the table is its in-depth commentary for the games.According to EA had the game’s five announcers record hundreds of hours of commentary to account for a wide range of possible gameplay scenarios. This means commentary isn’t just generic phrases like “what a catch,” but instead will actually mention the exact circumstances under which certain plays are happening. This means commenting on things like the type of play, the score, and the time left in the game.
Not only doesCollege Football 25have more in-depth commentary, it also has more commentators thanNCAA Football 14.The previous game included only two: Brad Nessler, and Kirk Herbstreit. Herbstreit has return forCollege Football 25, along with four other well-known voices: Chris Fowler, Rece Davis, Jesse Palmer, and David Pollack. Herbstreit and Fowler are reserved for notable games, while the other three announcers take on the bulk of the season’s games.
2Wear And Tear Injury Reports Track Player Status
College Football 25 Warns Players About Potential Risks
College Football 25’s new Wear and Tear system is a morerealistic look at the impact playing football can haveon the human body. Throughout the game, players can track their team’s status on an individual level to see how they’re doing. If an individual player starts to show too much Wear and Tear, players have a few options. They can switch up the types of plays they call, taking pressure off the at-risk individual. Alternatively, if a player is at too high of a risk, players can choose to make substitutions to preserve their stronger players for future games.
The new Wear and Tear system can be seen in action inCollege Football 25’s “Gameplay Deep Dive.” This adds a new level of strategy toCollege Football 25that wasn’t present inNCAA Football 14. It allows players more control over keeping their players healthy and incentivizes a more diverse playstyle.
1College Football 25 Represents Several Major Behind-The-Scenes Changes
College Football 25 Drops The NCAA Branding And Can Pay Players
Some players may not realize that changing the title fromNCAA FootballtoCollege Footballis actually a major factor in the series being able to return. When EA previously had a deal with the NCAA, they ended up getting involved in a lawsuit over using player likenesses in their games without compensating the players. While EA said they would be open to paying players, the NCAA refused to let it happen, essentially killing EA’s college football franchise.
Dropping the NCAA license has allowed EA to have more creative freedom overCollege Football 25. Meanwhile, a change in the rules for college athletes has also allowedEA Sportsto pay players for the use of their names and likenesses. This allowed EA to bring the series back without fear of a lawsuit. These behind-the-scenes changes from the days ofNCAA Football 14were a necessary component for the series making its long-awaited comeback.
