well i tried to give it a couple weeks to see how things ended up growing on me, but sheesh why was I optimistic EA wouldn't screw this up given their track record (I know it's a different group than those that did Madden) and that people have been waiting over a decade for this and there is a known cult following of it (the number of users still playing 14 is really impressive). Overall I'd give the game a 5/10. Seems like fans may be moving this way as well based on Twitch streamers and viewers but EA won't care as they've made an absolute bag already.
Gameplay
Love the speed of the game and how quickly players move (though some of the physics are a little, weird, for lack of a better word in how guys move at times), but man they got waaaaaaay too bogged down in the weeds with trying to make it like you are a coordinator or QB, reading defenses/shells, sliding coverages/protections, etc. and adjusting defensively presnap and didn't stop to focus on if that actually works in the game. Love the premise but man they missed the mark drastically. Even with slides of protection, multiple players on a given play just not blocking (yay 2 seconds to try throw the ball or getting instantly sacked on play action), your defenders, despite being told to shade the pass or play the correct favor in coverage, get smoked through the air like it's Manning playing 7v7 vs a Pop Warner team, or the game highlighting who to "read" on the zone read, them blitzing/you making the right read, but the game looping out someone else to hit you immediately. Add that to the continual running into the kicker penalties, receivers dropping almost every other pass, and the usual AI being AI (with it on Heisman, defenders are running the opposite way facing away from you and will stop to make a leaping interception or will randomly sit on a route despite being facing the wrong direction, though this isn't new) and it really takes the sheen off how "good" the game looks. The stadium difficulty is also a fun thing that I'm happy they've kept, but how they chose to have it impact the game is... confusing. Now you run hurry up and there's a chance that the play that comes in is entirely different than what was selected by the player (can the players not see the sideline because it's loud?). Love the addition of making players "rattled" from consecutive bad plays or your freshman struggling from the get go in a loud stadium, but at certain places it is way overpowered to the point where unless you personally memorize the playbook and what buttons certain players are on routes ahead of time, it's next to impossible.
Announcing
It's just awful. They recorded far too few intro quips, things to say live, etc that you're just hearing the same thing over and over (I swear I could hear the "if you're going to get hit that hard, you might as well catch it" line in my sleep). It's cool they thought to add touches like "MN has everything from a Heisman to a Nagurski" in that they're fun lines, but then you get clumsy things like the "we have a team from the Big Ten (large, obvious break) Wisconsin, here to take on another team from the Big Ten (large, obvious break) Minnesota". Add that to that the announcing has no emotion when things happen and isn't synced timing wise and it just comes off as disappointing. If you're not going to record more, add more things that make college FB unique like the band/music
College Fanfare
The dynamic crowd is pretty cool but ffs what did they decide that college students wear? Then we get random other teams mascots on the sidelines and the Wisconsin Badger and fans celebrating when they throw a pick to lose the game. Just a lot of random bugs that are noticeable unfortunately.
Game modes
To be blunt, dynasty is pretty easy. Recruiting is "hackable" and I have the Gophers getting top 5 classes on Heisman in the second season and landing 10+ 5stars by season 3 once the team tradition gets better. The team ratings are waaaaaaaaay too close to the point (and upsets must be far too "likely" given GA is losing to the likes of Kent State every year despite being rated 15 pts higher) where you're getting no team in a tougher conference finishing with less than 2 losses then by random chance you're getting an NC St or similar who go undefeated and it massively elevates their standing to now where they're in the playoff every year after 2 seasons. Overall it just feels too "easy" provided you can win games (or just the right games when recruits are visiting so your team with new recruits becomes overpowered). The coaching side of it and upgrading is also an interesting addition, but again its hackable (just make your coach massively recruiting buffed, the rest is relatively irrelevant).
RTG is probably the biggest disappointment for me. I've done 2 of them just to play both ends of the spectrum and there's no incentive to playing as a 2 star to sit on the bench at your dream school (or play at Kennesaw State to level up), do practice every single week and earning "trust" for no real reason that's helpful, and having minimal ability to improve your player (you're going up 3-5 points/year depending on the position you play) to the point where it just feels grossly repeptitive and mindless (study 1x/week, workout 1-2x/week, leadership 1x/week, recovery 1x/week and you're optimized if you're actually playing; no recovery if you're on the bench. The NIL thing is pointless). As a 4-5 star instant starter most places, the pace at which you can level up your player is pretty impressive, especially when you add to it that they start you in the upper 70s/low 80s and the best QB on the game is a 92 (Sanders). The playcalling is brutal if you're a QB so you just end up playing no huddle every game. The still being able to import your guy to Madden is "fun", but clearly is just a money grab to try sell more copies. Hard pass.
College ultimate team is just a money grab. Would've been nice if they'd put this money and time into the features that fans actually wanted (ie the college fanfare and a more robust RTG game mode, celebrations with the trophies rather than your guys just high fiving after winning the Axe). Ditto could be said for the adding like 80 random "skills" that different players can have that are for the most part, useless as well as next to impossible to see while you are playing the game (the icons are waaaay too small).
As a note, how in the fuck did EA not think hey maybe we should add a tutorial? They have little text boxes that tell you how to keep the ball (that work some) and are different if you're running the option or an RPO, the kicking game is really finicky, the passing stuff is entirely changed if you've stayed away from Madden. I feel bad for a lot of folks who have no idea how to play the game and it would make a tough game utterly unplayable.
I'm hoping that with some time the bugs will get worked out to make it more enjoyable to play or dynasty more engaging/difficult to recruit and build up a team, but as someone who played 14 for years after it came out, this one's not really bringing me back. sorry for the long post, but felt the need to rant about it for a second as my significant other is probably real sick of me complaining about Ersery deciding to entirely not block for Brosmer for the 200th time.
