WORST | Underdog journey in Road to Glory | Unlike in previous EA-produced college football games, you won’t play out your senior season in high school to earn scholarship offers in Road to Glory mode. Instead, there are four backstories to choose from — Elite, Blue Chip, Contributor and Underdog — and whichever you select will determine your custom-made player’s initial rating, along with how much playing time you’ll receive at the program of your choice.
Some may enjoy the challenge of starting on Underdog, which sets your player as a 60 overall. However, it’s frankly not worth the hassle if you plan on committing to a large program, as it’ll be extremely difficult to earn playing time for several seasons. If you don’t wish to start out as a high-ranked recruit, consider giving Contributor a try.
BEST | Recruiting in Dynasty Mode |
Dynasty Mode is arguably the most popular game mode in “EA Sports College Football 25,” and EA didn’t disappoint with the new enhancements to recruiting players. Not only is recruiting more immersive than in years past, but it’s realistic as each recruit has different demands, such as wanting to play close to home or play for a championship contender. As a result, rebuilding your dynasty will be more challenging if you start out at a smaller school, but it will be well worth the effort if you can convince a five-star recruit to commit to your program.
WORST | Changing the read option controls | Perhaps the most unnecessary addition in “EA Sports College Football 25” has been the alteration to how to run the read option. When reading the defense in past “Madden” and “NCAA Football” games, you would press “X” or “A” to hand the ball off to the running back or do nothing to keep it. This year, however, the controls have been flipped, so you must press “X” or “A” to run the ball with your quarterback and not tap any buttons to give the ball to your tailback.
While it might not seem like a significant change, even the most experienced player could go through a lengthy adjustment period before mastering the read option, especially considering how fast plays unfold in “EA Sports College Football 25.”
WORST | Main menu song | Overall, “EA Sports College Football 25” has lived up to the hype, but it’s rather surprising — and a bit disappointing — that there’s only one lyric-less song to listen to when you’re at the main menu. Although it perfectly captures the feel of what a marching band’s drum line plays, it quickly grows old since it’s excessively loud, and there isn’t anything else to listen to. EA should add more music for the main menu, perhaps by including various schools’ fight songs.
