Played & Reviewed: CFB 25

The game we’ve waited 11 years for released this week and I certainly have some thoughts.

I could’ve written this on the day of the game’s early release but wanted to get more time with it to put together a more complete analysis.

Today I’ll break down what I’ve seen from the gameplay in EA Sports CFB 25 thus far.

Gameplay Review:

For context I always play on Heisman difficulty and use even teams for exhibition games.

Passing in EA Sports CFB 25 is hard. Much harder than in previous installations.

While it’s relatively easy to break off big plays downfield, stringing together short and intermediate passes has become much more challenging.

Gone are the days of free yardage through slants, curls, and out routes.

Blitzing defenders also get through the offensive line faster than in previous years, giving users less time to make decisions.

Running the ball is very dependent on offensive line success, as it should be.

I haven’t had many breakaway runs but with good block reading and a competent offensive line, users should be able to set the tone on the ground.

Moving on to defense, my biggest takeaway has been the difficulty in tackling.

In Madden, users can get what are colloquially known as ‘warp tackles’.

This involves a user-controlled player getting a suction effect towards a ballcarrier if the user attempts a tackle within a few yards of the player.

This does not exist in CFB 25 as players need to be within roughly a yard of a ballcarrier to make a tackle.

Score one for realism.

There are also many more interceptions in CFB 25 than NCAA Football 14, due in large part to a revamped defensive CPU that is a skilled ball-hawk.

As far as special teams go, the kick return is alive and well in CFB 25.

I’ve personally scored on several runbacks that started in my own endzone.

Kicking is much harder than in NCAA Football 14 as the new kick meter makes users time and aim their kicks more accurately than in years past.

Overall, CFB 25 is a significantly harder and more realistic game than NCAA Football 14.

I count that as a win.