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EA Sports College Football 25 was officially released about a month ago, much to the delight of sports gamers who have waited over a decade for the next college football video game. The game has had mostly positive reviews, but like every game it's certainly not a perfect product especially the Day 1 release versions.
This is why updates exist, though, to make sure that the voices of the players and consumers are heard. On August 8, College Football 25 received its first major tweaks in a sweeping update. It cleaned a few things up, addressed a few bugs, nerfed and buffed what needed to be nerfed and buffed and added quite a few new items. Let's analyze what exactly came from this initial update.
The Bug Fixes
Like any Day 1 release, College Football 25 had some bugs starting out. Certain fixes to Dynasty Mode, Road to Glory and the overall game were needed and addressed. According to IGN.com's Taylor Lyles, some fixes included, but are not limited to:
Fixed various instances of rare broken play bugs
Fixed issue where certain formations had offensive players align too wide when on the near or far hash
Fixed an issue where you could not use 4-2-5 or 3-3-5 formations in a custom playbook
Fixed an issue where single-back formations would be assigned the wrong name when creating a custom playbook
Fixed an issue where Spiking the Ball in online modes was not working as part of the Turbo Tempo system
Fixed an issue so a Speed Option Running Back will follow the QB longer
Various fixes for News Stories and fixes around score summaries and Box Scores in Dynasty
Fixed an issue where Offensive Linemen would appear in the Preseason Heisman Watch in future seasons for Dynasty
Fixed an issue where Wear and Tear in Dynasty did not recover for FCS teams resulting in a high number of FCS team injuries during game play
Fixed rare issues where you’d get a scenario reward screen that did not align with your received bonuses in Road to Glory
Fixed an issue where users were getting Skill Points maxed out after completing a practice in RTG
Fixed a crash when quitting a Position Battle in RTG
These issues were reportedly plaguing players' initial experiences with the game. Some players accused the game of "ruining their immersion" and even being inferior to NCAA Football 14 in terms of game play.
While NCAA Football 14 may play a bit more cleanly, there are fewer features and the game has been out for over 10 years. So it's going to run a bit more cleanly than a game still on its initial release with zero updates. These patches will come along and help out. Players will be happy to know that a lot of these glaring issues have been fixed. It should be a better, more clean experience.
Needed Nerfs and Buffs
This latest update made the game more enjoyable by adding nerfs and buffs to a few players and teams. No longer will you be able to spam the spin button to evade defenders with ease. No longer will the offensive line be 15 yards downfield in an RPO play. And no longer will the FCS teams be filled with All-Americans, or as EA Sports themselves put it:
"(We) discovered that FCS SE, MW and NW were secretly using professional players and passing them off as collegiate players. (We) gave them sanctions and ensured they are now using properly-rated players."
Tongue-and-cheek jokes aside, EA Sports made sure that offensive lines would be, at the very least, competent. Also, that players like Quinshon Judkins wouldn't be ludicrously overpowered with a spin move that could be used and abused to a 100 percent success rate. And, that FCS teams wouldn't be the 2019 LSU Tigers or 2008 Florida Gators in terms of talent. Heisman difficulty should be a lot less of a struggle now. Some other major nerfs and buffs include:
Tuning and logic enhancements to pursuit angles
Introduced new behavior that further differentiates players with high pursuit ratings vs lower pursuit ratings
Reduced frequency of broken tackles from trailing defenders
Adjusted AI QB behavior on shot plays to make more lob throws vs bullet passes
Adjusted AI QB behavior to be less aggressive based on awareness rating
Adjusted the DB’s ability to more effectively shed blocks on the perimeter
Retuned Toughest Places to Play formula to reduce the impact that large stadiums have on Toughest Places to Play and increase the value of filling the stadium and winning games at home historically
Reduced dynamic attendance penalties for playing FCS teams
Increased dynamic attendance in rivalry games
Logic, simulation and CFB rankings adjustments in Dynasty Mode
These nerfs and buffs were needed as they were frustrating to players trying to build their Dynasties, Road to Glories and just trying to enjoy the game. That's, of course, without having to struggle to make plays against the AI or your cheeky cousin who insists on playing with the Ohio State Buckeyes because "I've always been a Buckeyes fan! What do you mean Judkins is overpowered?"
Obviously, though, some players aren't happy their ratings went down due to these nerfs.
Using Devin Neal to put up 8 touchdowns and over 500 yards from scrimmage in a game was fun while it lasted.
New Additions
Finally, the update also introduced new playbooks, uniforms and renovated stadiums. If you've played with the Kansas Jayhawks, Texas State Bobcats, Kennesaw State Owls, Oklahoma State Cowboys, Wake Forest Demon Deacons, Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks, Nebraska Cornhuskers or you just really like using the Holiday Bowl for some reason, then you may have noticed these stadium changes. Kansas has their Gateway District Project finished (projected to be finished in 2025). There's also been adjustments to match real-life stadiums and overall the stadiums look cleaner and more realistic.
In terms of playbooks, a total of 8 new shotgun formations have been added to 35 different teams. Formations like Bunch Quads Open and Slot F Wing have been added as well, adding more dynamic play calling and variation to offensive strategy. These changes reflect real-life playbooks these teams use. More changes may come as playbooks change and adjustments are made to game play.
For uniforms, these teams have received new uniform aspects:
Baylor Bears
Oregon Ducks
Iowa State Cyclones
Ole Miss Rebels
Vanderbilt Commodores
Bowling Green State Falcons
Northwestern Wildcats
UTEP Miners
Boise State Broncos
New Mexico State Aggies
Appalachian State Mountaineers
Texas State Bobcats
Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns
New Mexico Lobos
South Alabama Jaguars
TCU Horned Frogs
Missouri Tigers
Uniform changes range from small tweaks to make them look more like real uniforms to full-on brand new uniform options. More uniform updates are expected in future patches.
College Football 25: The New Era's New Era
This update will cost game players 27 gigabytes in storage. That gives you an idea on how much they are changing. It's to be expected as the Day 1 product had much to be done.
While it was a fun game that was long overdue, changes needed to be made. They will make the playing experience better and the game more polished. Expect more changes throughout the upcoming season, including dynamic rosters and bug fixes. For now, it seems like this game is off to a fantastic start.
People have waited a long time for this game. We are witnessing a true new era of college athletics and, with that, video games pertaining to college sports. Will we see even more new games in the future? Perhaps new add-ons and downloadable content for this game? Time will tell.
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