With release less than a month away, I wanted to explore 3 features that I'm personally excited about in CFB 25. A little bit about me, while I am not a pro like PIHCAM, I play Madden/MUT very heavily online and wanted to write about some things that excited me from that standpoint as well as some things I think will be real game changers when it comes to how the game feels and plays.
If you haven't already, check out PIHCAM's awesome write-up on the gameplay news here.
Abilities
Abilities are always a very hot topic in Madden and College Football’s approach might be a breath of fresh air compared to what we’re used to in Madden and MUT. They will be adding 80 new abilities to the game. These abilities give players situational boosts, but there are no guarantees. The abilities are split into two groups: Physical and Mental. Each group has four tiers: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. A few important call-outs: Players can have a maximum of five Physical and three Mental Abilities at any given time and Physical Abilities are determined by Archetype, while Mental Abilities are determined by the player’s position. While 80 abilities with different tiers may be a lot to learn and keep up with, I am very excited to see how these abilities play in conjunction with all of the new gameplay features.
Hot Routes
Something I’m really interested in is the “Hot Routes Revamp” in College Football 25. According to EA’s official Gameplay Deep Dive Blog, in the new revamp, all players will have access to 12 unique hot routes without needing a special ability. One of the new hot routes is the “Bang 8,” which is essentially a Deep Post. The available routes (per the screenshot) include Bang 8, Deep Cross, Triple Option, Deep Dig, Post, Slant, Corner, Drag, Fade, In, Curl, Speed Out, Comeback, and Smoke Screen, totaling 14 routes. I think having the ability to make all of these new hot routes paired with the Custom Stems for how deep/shallow you want to utilize the route is going to be a very nice feature and lead to a ton of variety in route combos, play calls, and how plays look and feel.
Custom Stems
As I mentioned in the Hot Routes section, Stems introduces a new feature that allows you to precisely adjust the depth of a route. To use this functionality, press and hold LB/L1 and use the LS to adjust the depth by as little as 1 yard at a time. Additionally, you can use the D-Pad to change it in 5-yard increments. Once you’ve made the your adjustments to the route, simply release LB/L1 and continue with your play. I know for me and many others this will be a very powerful feature that will be useful for any level of player and will be much more impactful than the old Smart Route feature.
What are your thoughts on these features and what are you looking forward to the most?
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