Getty Image / Daniel Dunn
We’re now just a week away from the early release of EA Sports new college football video game, College Football 25. It’s safe to say this is the most-anticipated release of a sports game in the USA in a really long time.
EA Sports has been slowly releasing information and footage from the game ahead of next Friday’s official release date and the early release for those who paid up for it, which is showing as next Monday afternoon on people’s consoles. On Monday, they released an extended version of gameplay footage that featured Michigan running back and one of the cover athletes in Donovan Edwards facing off against TikTok influencer Bordeaux.
The gameplay release featured three teams, with Donovan Edwards playing as Michigan both games while Bordeaux played as Texas and Penn State. Despite Bordeaux’s virality playing Road to Glory and Dynasty on NCAA Football 14 on TikTok, he looked downright terrible aginst Donovan Edwards.
Here’s the official gameplay release.
Fans are absolutely loving the gameplay footage, and they should. As someone who has played every licensed football release for both the NFL and NCAA since 2003, this is the best gameplay footage has ever looked.
The first thing that jumps out to me is how fast the gameplay footage looks. Madden has been playing too slowly lately, which doesn’t fully capture just how fast football is played at that level. College Football 25 is fast.
And, the movement sensitivity in terms of input on the sticks seems incredibly. Everyone has always wanted the precision movement that the ultra-agile players show us on Saturday and Sunday. That hasn’t always been the case, but it certainly appears to be in this game. Look at the cuts that Donovan Edwards makes while using Donovan Edwards and Bordeaux makes with Penn State star back Nick Singelton. The suddenness and acceleration those players possess in real life.
Another thing that I love is speed differentiation. Too often on football games, players are frustrated when a linebacker is running across the field stride-for-stride with a wide receiver or running back. That’s typically not how things play out in real life, and that difference in speed definitely looks present on this game.
Judging by that football of College Football 25, offense may be a little ahead of defense. But, college football has been about dynamic offense for the last few decades, so that may be the right approach either way.
Altogether, I can’t wait to finally play after an eleven-year hiatus, and I’m sure you can’t either.