EA Sports continues to build hype towards this summer’s release of “College Football 25,” the much-anticipated revival of its titular video game series. We got one of our most extensive looks Friday morning when EA unveiled a gameplay trailer that went in depth on some major innovations and changes to the series.
Such an immense overhaul could be expected for a title that’s effectively been on hiatus for more than a decade. During the trailer’s four-plus minutes, broadcaster Kirk Herbstreit provided narration for a slew of major tweaks that will have “College Football 25” feeling fresh, at the very least. It certainly appears to be a departure from EA Sports’ “Madden” series, something that fans have pined for since EA initially announced “College Football 25.”
Friday’s trailer also provided a deep peek at in-game presentation, from the scorebug to stadium renderings to player sprites in action. Prominent teams like Michigan, Texas and Georgia were featured. Fans even got their first look at a helmet-less rendering of Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, one of the game’s cover athletes, among other players from around the nation.
With so much ground to cover, here’s a look at the new gameplay features that we can expect when “College Football 25” officially drops July 19.
“Wear & Tear” system
“College Football 25” is introducing a new system that simulates the natural fatigue that players experience through the course of a game. Dubbed the “Wear & Tear” system, players will essentially have a hot zone for each part of their body.
As the hits start to stack up, different areas of the body can wear down, becoming more susceptible to potential injury or other issues. Additionally, certain parts of the body will affect a player differently. For example, you don’t want your quarterback taking too many hits to his arms or upper body, while a running back’s legs will be important to monitor.
The more wear and tear a player has on certain areas of their body, the worse they’ll perform in the game. That makes managing substitutions and keeping regular rotations more important.
Specific player abilities
To simulate the gap in skill level among collegiate athletes, ‘College Football 25″ will introduce a system of player skills and abilities to make the superstars feel like superstars. Each player can have up to eight total mental and physical abilities that increase their performance on the field.
For instance, Georgia running back Trevor Etienne Jr. was used to showcase the ability “Side Step,” which gives a plAyer “Improved fakeouts on Juke moves.” Michigan cornerback Will Johnson has the “Ballhawk” ability, which gives him improved break towards the ball on throws near him.
Abilities can also scale in effectiveness — so, one player could have a higher level “Side Step” than another, giving that ability increased statistical boosts. Presumably, younger players will be able to develop abilities as their careers progress.
Revamped homefield advantage
Homefield advantage isn’t a new concept in sports video games, but “College Football 25” is ensuring that it has a more tangible effect. Each game will have a “Stadium Pulse” meter that measures the impact crowd noise has on that moment in the game.
Additionally, each player will have a certain level of composure that determines how they acclimate to hostile environments. This is especially relevant for quarterbacks. Those with low composure will have trouble reading pre-snap situations and won’t be able to audible or call hot routes as effectively.
So, it won’t be nearly as easy for that five-star freshman quarterback to walk into Tiger Stadium and dominate LSU on the road.
Extensive playbook overhaul
There are 134 teams at the Football Bowl Subdivision level, each of which have their own offensive and defensive philosophies. Though it would be virtually impossible to perfectly replicate this, it seems like EA’s developers have done their best to make sure each program feels unique on the field.
Every team will have its own playbook modeled after the schemes they run in real life. Oklahoma’s wide splits, Air Force’s triple option and Michigan’s power-run game all received special mention in the gameplay trailer.
Those that play the game will also have to contend with complex new mechanics, both before and after the ball is snapped. In addition to hot route adjustments, it is now possible to change the depth and adjust stems for wide receiver routes.
The passing game is undergoing its own overhaul, with nuance added to change the trajectory and depth of certain throws. There’s even a new kicking meter for those inclined to get in on the special teams game.
