What's up, everyone? it's PIHCAM. Yesterday, EA released the first full gameplay footage for College Football 25, and there's a lot to dive into. The team over at Huddle.gg and I watched the footage closely, and we put together our 25 biggest takeaways. Needless to say, we're very excited for next week's release.
1. Throw Meter
There are three colors associated with different accuracies for each.
Blue - safe throw with good accuracy
Yellow - will give you the best accuracy
Red- will give you the biggest chance for inaccurate throws
2. Different Pitch Options
Quick Pitch (tap LB/L1) - Will get the ball out quickly in tight spots. Will give a higher chance of the pitch being off target.
Strong Pitch (hold LB/L1) - Animation can take a little bit longer but the pitch will hit the running back in stride.
Fake Pitch (double tap LB/L1) - Attempt to fake out the pitch read defender.
3. Where you hit the person matters
EA has mentioned that the targeted area of a hit can cause specific damage to that area of the player with the Wear and Tear system. You can also see in this video, the defense is able to force a turnover by hitting the QB's throwing arm.
4. New Ability System
The new ability system in EA CFB 25 is a little bit different than what we've seen in Madden recently. CFB abilities will be tiered and also do not guarantee an outcome, only help boost the chances of one. Here is a look at a few that were shown today.
5. Tempo Game
EA showcased its new "Turbo" tempo in today's gameplay release. Turbo is a quicker version of no huddle but it does come with some consequences. You only have a couple of audible options, and won't have the ability to hot route a receiver. This will however give you the opportunity to call hike before the defensive is fully set, which can also cause the line to get off the ball slower. It does appear by pushing LT/L2, you can check the sideline, which we believe may slow down your tempo but allow you to get access to a few more audibles.
6. Seeing your players run to the line
In recent years with Madden, when calling no-huddle, you wouldn't get the visual of watching your players run to the line. It appears in CFB 25, we will now get to see these animations which bring a sense of realism back to the presentation side of things.
7. Spin Move is Back
The juke move looked to be very effective, but the spin move looks like it may be the best skill move in the game.
8. Run Stick Responsiveness
Aside from the skill moves we've already talked about, the basic left stick movement looks much more responsive than it has been in the last few years of Madden. There were quite a few plays where the ball carrier was able to switch directions very quickly to make a man miss.
9. New Hot Routes
Every QB in CFB 25 is going to have access to 14 specific hot routes depending on where the receiving threat is (wide out, slot, running back, etc.). Here are the hot routes available for receivers split out wide.
10. Home Field Advantage
The intensity of the stadium is really going to be able to affect the game at times. You may see the wrong play art show up, icons could be missing, or the play art could be blurred.
11. Pump Fakes
If you use pump fakes at the correct times throughout the game, you have an increased chance at visually seeing the defender bite on that fake.
12. New Kick Meter
The new kick meter looks like it's going to make it a lot tougher to make field goals. For every recent football game we can remember, it almost felt like you had to block a field goal if you wanted your opponent to have any chance of missing. This year that might change.
13. New Celebrations
It looks as if EA brought a little EA FC (formerly known as FIFA) over to CFB 25 with the celebrations available. In years past you had access to four options after a big play on how you wanted to celebrate. In CFB 25 there are 20+ TD celebrations alone!
14. Formation Carryover
We got a sneak peek of a few of the newer Madden formations which made their way over to CFB 25. Formations like Bunch Str Offset and Bunch X Nasty were not part of the last CFB game we had.
15. Wear and Tear
Maybe the biggest addition to CFB 25 is the Wear and Tear System. How often, and where you are hit matters, and it'll affect your player's attributes throughout a game. The Wear and Tear is shown by the color of the corresponding body part (Green/Light Green/Yellow/Orange/Red). The player's toughness attribute determines how much they can withstand the Wear and Tear throughout the game.
16. Recovering from Wear and Tear
Players can heal from Wear and Tear in four different ways
-Per Play
-Per Quarter
-Halftime (biggest recovery throughout a game)
-In between weeks (for Dynasty and Road to Glory)
17. Coach Vision
Coach Vision is a pre-play mechanic that will allow you to see important information throughout the game such as Composure, Matchups, Abilities, Wear and Tear, etc.
18. Player Reticle
The reticle beneath your player gives you access to a bit of information as well throughout the game.
The right side is the player's fatigue/stamina
The left side is the player's Wear and Tear
19. Custom Stems
This new mechanic allows you to adjust the depth of your route to wherever you want on the field. There were rumors this would only apply to the primary (red) route, but given the gameplay today, that doesn't seem to be the case. It appears you can adjust any of your receivers.
20. Sights and Sounds
EA released a blog going over the time and effort put into bringing the "College Football atmosphere" to life, and the gameplay today shows they did not disappoint. From crowd chants to pre-game traditions, this looks amazing! Just listen for yourself...
21. "Off Frame" Throws
When you get poor accuracy on a throw, the quarterback will struggle to hit your receiver in stride. Instead, you'll see throws that force the receiver to adjust which also will increase the chance of drops.
22. Weather Matters
You will notice bad weather games in CFB 25. In wet conditions (snow/rain), it will be harder to tackle, hold onto the ball, and throw the ball as consistently as you would in nicer weather games.
23. Disguising Your Coverage
There are two different ways you can disguise your coverage pre-snap. In the play call screen, you have the option to show different coverage shells regardless of what play you choose. Once you come to the line, you can adjust to either a Cover 2 or Cover 3 shell.
24. WR Splits/Alignments
Because of the hash marks being wider in college, formations may look a little bit different at times from what you're used to with Madden. Receivers can be split out much wider in similar or even identical formations in Madden.
25. Celebrations
@bordeauxyoutube has confirmed that no matter the score, it will never be too late to celebrate the hard work it takes getting in that end zone! In all seriousness, we appreciate him for being a part of this, and helping give us our first look at gameplay for EA College Football 25!
I know I went over a lot of information in this article, but I'd love to hear your thoughts on everything as well! Leave a comment below an let me know what you're excited most about from College Football 25's gameplay.
If you're looking to get better at College Football 25, make sure to check out huddle.gg and follow us on our socials below. We teach real football strategy you can use to dominate the collegiate virtual gridiron.
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