It appears that it is all "in the game"

“It’s in the game” — EA Sports

If you read that sentence and heard it in Andrew Anthony’s infamous gravelly voice, there’s a solid chance you were as excited about last week as I was. After more than a decade without EA Sports’ trademark collegiate gridiron game, College Football 25 has arrived.

The popularity of Madden is unmatched, but EA’s College Football had a following that was too big to be called niche but too passionate to be considered normal. I proudly consider myself to be a member of this enthusiastic fan club.

I wish I could tell you I picked up the game the day it was released, however I didn’t. It is only available for the PS5 and Xbox X series, neither of which I have. I’m prepared to spend $100 I don’t have, but unable to spend $600 for a console and game. Not yet at least.

What I have done instead is what my child and countless other young people have done, I watched online as others played video games. Unlike them, I would rather play than watch, but I was so excited about this game that I was willing to watch if I couldn’t play.

A few things worthy of note caught my eye. The graphics improved drastically but that’s bound to happen when you create a game for the first time in 11 years. Technology has improved and it shows.

The gameplay appears to be more realistic, which I love. The more hits a player takes, the slower they are later in the game. Catching the ball through contact is more rare now, just like in real life. Being able to mix the running and passing game is more important than ever.

There are a plethora of details specific to each team that will delight the fan in most of us. Whatever your favorite school is, EA did a great job of ensuring some elements of each school’s personality made the game.

If your school creates a tough environment for opponents to play and the stadium shakes, it’s in the game. If your favorite school has a turnover belt, it’s in the game. If your favorite team celebrates touchdowns by pointing to an imaginary but expensive Rolex on the wrist, it’s in the game.

One of the most popular historical features in EA sports college football has been dynasty mode, and I am thrilled to see it has returned with the game as well. Dynasty mode allows you to choose a university or college and try to make them a champion.

You can ensure this is easy by picking a school like Georgia or Alabama, but it is a lot more fun to do with a program like East Carolina or Toledo. Making them a national champion is a bit more complicated and requires more time.

You text players, there is a transfer portal, kids commit and then change their mind, you can fire assistant coaches and other programs will try to hire you to come to their school. To EA’s credit, if it’s in the game, it appears to be in the game.

If you don’t want to manage an entire program, you can just be in charge of a single player in Road to Glory mode. There you act as one player being recruited to college and experiencing a collegiate playing career.

Here you will try to improve as a player while experiencing college life, including texting with friends, invitations to parties and talking to girls. The details are important, so party too much and your coach gets mad, or flirt too hard and the young lady will block you.

As I mentioned before, I haven’t played it so I can’t yet tell you yet whether you should invest your money. What I can tell you is that from what I’ve watched, I’m very much looking forward to investing mine once I get more. I’m ready to play.