EA Sports College Football 27 by developer EA Tiburon and publisher Electronic Arts—Sony PlayStation 5 review written by Nick with a copy provided by the publisher.
Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
Entering the third year for this resurrected franchise, I was very curious to see where EA Sports College Football 27 would go. I was worried that the franchise might take a major step back now that it had a couple of years under its belt, but I’m happy to report the opposite is true. Outside of the constantly in-your-face microtransactions that EA is all too well known for, EA Sports College Football 27 is a simply fantastic sports game that I’ve been unable to put down since firing it up.
Let’s start with the biggest knock I have – which is how EA’s need to try and wring every last cent out of its games through microtransactions is unfortunately alive and well in this year’s game. It’s even found its way into the single player modes, not just the Ultimate Team (more on that in a bit) mode. At a time when gamers are already feeling the pinch of increased title prices, the rising cost of hardware and DLC / ultimate editions for almost every game that gets released, seeing a game ask you to open your wallet again (and again and again) is kind of exhausting at this point. I know it’s the reality we live in, but I don’t have to like it, so I figured I’d get that out of the way right now.
The good news is that outside of the Ultimate Team mode, which is a mashup of fantasy football and card collecting, there’s not really a need for any of these microtransactions. Technically you don’t even need it for the Ultimate Team, as there’s a ton of challenges and modes in there that allow you to get new packs of cards – but the grind is real and EA has become quite skilled at trickling progression in this particular mode in a way that certainly encourages you to spend money on more packs of cards. This is even more pronounced if you’re looking to play against other people online in this mode who may also be caving to the pressure of buying more and better cards for their team. It’s a solid enough mode for people who enjoy the formula, and if this is where you like to spend your time in the game, there is a great deal of content that is sure to keep you busy. It’s well done for what it is, it’s just not my preferred cup of tea.
Where I spend the majority of my time is in either the Road to Glory (think of it as a career mode) and Dynasty (franchise mode). These two modes are extremely meaty, and frankly this is where I was worried this year’s release might show some regression or at least stagnation, but I have to say that I was plenty pleased with what both had to offer.
Starting with the Road to Glory, you get to create a player at one of several positions. The mainstays from years past such as quarterback, halfback, cornerback and so on have returned, but I’m thrilled to see some new positions such as tight end, safety and edge rusher added. I’m a bit disappointed that defensive tackle wasn’t added as that’s the position I usually use during defense, but the edge rusher is close enough to scratch that itch for me. Honestly at this point, they might as well just add the offensive line and defensive tackles and round out all of the options, even though it’s pretty hard to imagine much demand for playing a right guard.
Anyways, from there you pick your high school from the generic ones provided or you can lean into the various creation modes to create your own custom one and proceed to try catch the eye of colleges that may recruit you. There’s not a lot of change from the last couple of years here. You have to make a list of schools you’re interested in, and need to put together a highlight reel built around objectives you select each game (such as completing a drive with a touchdown, or scrambling for 15 yards on a drive as a quarterback, etc). Completing these objectives improve your rating and raise the likelihood of a college wanting to recruit you. You can skip all of this if you want and just jump into the college of your choice as well, it’s up to you.
Once you’re in college, it becomes a combination of player development, resource / time management and how well you play in the games. Play well, manage your time well, and you’ll gain experience that lets you raise your stats. This has a nice gameplay loop of making your player better, giving you a higher chance of success when playing in the games, which can lead to your player being drafted into the NFL. One would assume that you could then choose to continue your career in this year’s Madden Football later this summer, as that’s been the connective tissue between these games the last two years.
Each week you can participate in a practice session (the biggest change here is that the team chooses which practice game to throw at you, instead of letting you pick it) to try and earn more trust from your coaches. More trust allows you to move up the depth chart and have more control over the plays that get called during the game. You are also allotted a certain number of activity points each week that you need to use to balance things like your physical fitness, your studies, your social media brand and so on. Each of these things has their own bonuses they can provide your player, while random events can also arise that have some risk / reward to them. If there’s a quibble about this year’s iteration of this mode, it’s that the events and also just the dialog from coaches / teammates both in high school and the primary college mode haven’t really changed much (if at all) from last year. The gameplay loop is addictive however, and I found myself making several characters that will no doubt find their way into my Madden franchise later this year when we review that title.
Next up is the Dynasty mode. You can play this offline or online, and there’s a few perks to either depending on your preferences. I’m doing an offline one right now by myself using my alma mater Central Michigan University. It creates a different kind of challenge taking a smaller school like that and trying to build the program up, as opposed to starting with a bigger name school that has sky high expectations that need to be met. Both are rewarding and the dynasty mode has added a few fun wrinkles to what was already a robust, enjoyable mode.
Here you take on the role of a coach, and depending on your school you are provided a set of expectations to meet with your team. Failure to do so can land you on the hot seat and even get you fired. Similar to how the Road to Glory mode lets you pick a player type to play, Dynasty allows you to build your coach around one of several archetypes such as skilled recruiter, gameday tactician and more. Similar to how Road to Glory has a combination of play the games and weekly resource management, Dynasty also has you focusing on simulation and strategy each week. Probably the most important part of that is the recruitment, which feels more challenging this year, in part due to the addition of NIL funds that top players expect to get. That makes it harder for a smaller school to compete against the big boys right out of the gates, which is more realistic if also more difficult.
There’s quite a bit of new nuance this season, as you can hire support staff, improve facilities and more as you try to build out your dynasty’s blueprint. It can be a little overwhelming right at first, and I’m a veteran of these football titles. I have definitely learned some lessons that I will apply to my next dynasty (I have some coworkers who want to do an online dynasty together). Progression is a lot of fun here, and overall the mode provides an excellent overall experience, especially for someone like me that wants more than just the football itself to play. One thing that I am going to keep grumbling about each year that EA Sports College Football 27 releases until they add this feature is exporting draft classes from the Dynasty mode here into the Franchise mode of Madden NFL.
I know, I know – NIL and having to pay players and all of that. I don’t care. Fans don’t care. These games are marketed together, in a bundle together, have some connective tissue with a coaching tree skill and Road to Glory import options – they need to resolve this. I’ve seen suggestions such as making it available after year four of Dynasty mode so the only players are not real players. There’s really smart people working on these games – they can figure something out, I’m sure.
In terms of other modes found in EA Sports College Football 27, you have the usual quick play, there’s a Road to the Playoffs that creates an online competition between players and a surprisingly fun Mascot Mashup that has oversized mascots out on the gridiron, with maxed stats that helps provide a silly, arcade feel to everything. I’m happy to say for those who like to chase trophies / achievements, we have a new set of those this year as well. It was nice to see after several years in a row of Madden recycling roughly 80-90% of the same achievements year after year.
Now, all of the modes and features in the world don’t matter if the gameplay on the field doesn’t hold up its end of the bargain. Luckily EA Sports College Football 27 excels here. The gameplay is fast and fluid. I noted the last couple of years that for my money, the college game felt better than Madden and while I don’t have this year’s Madden to make that comparison with yet, EA Sports College Football 27 is just a lot of fun on the virtual field.
That’s not to say there aren’t sometimes wonky physics that show up here and there, but really they are much more the exception than the rule. The stadium music and visual presentations look and sound like you’re watching a college game for the most part. If there’s a flaw in the overall presentation, it’s that a good chunk of the commentary feels recycled from last year. I was playing the last game in the series in the weeks leading up to 27’s release to prepare for it, and it’s striking how many lines carried over.
One of the big changes from last year is the pre-snap controls, mostly for the better. The ‘mostly’ is more a muscle memory issue for me, as better control over pre-snap adjustments but the controls to do things like spreading the linebackers, pinching the defensive line or pressing with your cornerbacks is handled differently now. I got the hang of it pretty quickly but every now and again I try to do it ‘the old way’ and mess it up. I’m an old dog, but I can learn these new tricks and the adjustment flexibility is well-done.
All in all, EA Sports College Football 27 is an excellent experience. There's just something special about hearing some of the fight songs from the local universities I watch in real life. I’m not a big fan of the constant push for microtransactions, and I think more can be done to connect this franchise with its Madden sibling. That being said, the meat and potatoes that is the gameplay, presentation and bevy of robust and improved modes is excellent and I have logged and will continue to no doubt log dozens of hours with EA Sports College Football 27 until this year’s Madden NFL comes out.
Score: 8.75 / 10
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