The return of the infamous National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) football series has gotten video game fans riled up. After a 12-year hiatus, its latest version, Electronic Arts’ (EA) College Football 25, has been released.

     First and foremost, the gameplay mechanics have had a lot of improvement. The movement inside of the game is arcade-like, depending on which mode you play. The quick and fast pace game makes it feel way more enjoyable.

     EA includes small features in NCAA 25 that make it so much more interesting. One was the use of  “Stadium Pulse.” Every time your team walks into a pounding, gut wrenching battleground of a crowd, the pulse goes all the way up. As plays are being made, the pulse will gradually increase or decrease. Whether you are in Ann Arbor or Tuscaloosa, this feature makes the game as competitive as it can get.

       One unique thing I noticed when I first played was how realistic and impressive the pre-game cutscenes turned out to be. As you get into it, your team is being introduced with rituals that are specialized for that specific group. An example of this would be the Florida Gators and their formalities. When coming out of the tunnel during a home game, UF players touch a gator head before taking the field. This exact moment is portrayed in the game. 

     The complexities of gameplay really increased my interest in this game. For instance, the game mode “Road to Glory.” You can customize your position, skill set, team and attributes for your own liking. As you build your player, you are accustomed to Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals that are offered to you as you get better. Your player also has to maintain a certain Grade Point Average (GPA) to even stay on the team. The realistic aspect of College Football 25 like these features give me a feeling like I am the actual player that I created.

     College Football 25 allows you to play with people across the globe on different gaming consoles. This was not very common in video games since the last NCAA series came out around a decade ago, which shows a massive jump and upgrade to the overall environment of the game.

     Overall, College Football 25 has given hope to the community for how good of a turnout the game was. The return of the NCAA game series has increased the nostalgia of many players, including me.