Running back Ismail Mahdi takes up the center screen on the new CFB menu when Texas State is selected as the favorite team. Notice the ticket stub is for 2023 game against Georgia Southern when the Bobcats became bowl eligible.
Daily Record photo by Colton McWilliams
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Colton McWilliams Sports Editor
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One of the noticeable mistakes in the game is the lack of the second deck of UFCU Stadium.
Daily Record photos by Colton McWilliams
The long wait is finally over as the new College Football 25 video game was released to the public last Friday—though owners of the deluxeedition had the privilege of playing the game Monday night.
I had the opportunity to play on the free trial during the week before the full version was released, so here are my thoughts on the new game and how it holds up.
For starters, the game is absolutely gorgeous.
The graphics are some of the best I have ever seen in the sports game genre, and they make you feel like you’re at the games.
Unfortunately, if you play as Texas State at UFCU Stadium, you will notice one glaring difference.
In the game, UFCU Stadium is present in its usual horse shaped structure with the end zone complex occupying the south endzone. However the stadium is presented as one single deck instead of the double deck.
Though EA Sports has promised to fix the error, it is still disappointing not to see UFCU Stadium in its full glory.
But back to the positives.
The presentation of each individual football game is also excellent.
Whether you are playing Texas-Texas A&M, Texas State-Sam Houston State or Baylor-TCU, CFB25 presents each game as its own unique event.
Games where you play as Texas State have the same level of gravitas as if when you are playing as Texas or as Texas A&M.
Playing as Texas State, it was a surreal feeling to see the commentators announce the actual names of the football players on the team.
For example, NCAA14 would announce the players are either “No. 2” or generate a random name. While some gamers would create modifiers to include the names of the players, the base game was required to use either player numbers or random names.
But with Name, Image and Likeness agreements now legal, you can finally hear the video game say “Running Back Ismail Mahdi” instead of “No. 21.'
The inclusion of players’ names might be a small one, but it definitely enhances the game as a whole.
So while the graphics and the presentation are off the charts, how the game operates depends on the user.
For a hardcore NCAA14 gamer such as myself, the controls and the style of play of CFB 25 are very different in some aspects.
Take the read option controls.
Running the read option on NCAA14, you press the 'A' button to hand the ball off to the running back. When the defender follows the running back, you don’t press the 'A' button as you take off running with your quarterback to gather up as much yardage as possible.
But in CFB25, it is the reverse. Not pushing the 'A' button gives the ball to the running back while pushing the button allows the quarterback to take the ball and gain yardage.
Is this a negative? Not really, but for someone who is used to the style of play in NCAA14, it will take some time getting used to the new controls of CFB25.
Another issue I have heard is that Madden game players are having a difficult time adjusting to the game.
However, to me that is not a significant issue, because CFB25 is not a reskin of Madden. Just because you have played Madden a lot, does not mean you should expect to play the same game when you turn on CFB 25.
This is what I love about the game the most.
You can tell the level of dedication put into CFB25 by people who adore the old NCAA games while wanting to create something fresh.
The developers knew one of the biggest games in recent history deserved the best treatment, and it shows in almost all aspects of the game.
It may take awhile to get used to CFB25, but make no mistake about it, this is the video game we have all been waiting for.
cmcwilliams @sanmarcosrecord.com Twitter: @ColtonBMc
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