The dawn of the college football season is an incredibly upbeat and invigorating event, and the anticipation is considerably amped up now that EA has reignited its annual college football sim, buttressed with authentic players instead of the generic versions from days of yore. The presence of "EA Sports NCAA Football 26" on your hard drive means that it won't be long until America's touchstone sport is back in action.
Due out Thursday, the game builds considerably on the impressive base of last year's long awaited series reboot, EA Sports NCAA Football 25. The most notable addition is head coaches. Other than the notable absence of high-profile coaches Deion Sanders of Colorado and North Carolina's Bill Belichick, all of the notable honchos are here, and their presence makes the game feel that much more authentic.
Last year's game made its name by absorbing the sights, sounds, traditions and chants from just about all recognizable programs, but there is always room for improvement and expansion. The dev team took that to heart, adding a ludicrous amount of detail, including 34 new mascots, 88 new marching band tunes and loads of new player gestures, animations and celebrations.
Unique flourishes abound, including the Oklahoma Sooner Schooner, Georgia's Savage Pads, the TCU Frog Horn, and, most importantly to me, Arizona's Turnover Sword, a cactus-shaped weapon that players pull out to celebrate a recovered fumble or interception.
Everything that made last year's game such a breakout hit is not only back, but refined and bettered by a year of fine-tuning, player feedback and innovations. Each team is bolstered with its own formations, playbook, playcalling tendencies and substitution patterns. I'm a stat nerd, and I appreciated the dev team's adherence to tradition, drawing on more than a century and half of statistics and records to inform the commentary and graphic stat flashing that bolster the presentation.
Dynasty Mode gets rivalry-protected matchups to make the schedule generation more realistic, and Trophy Room allows you to collect and store all sorts of accolades you earn on the gridiron. Road to Glory, Play Now and Road to the College Football Playoff allow you to test out your skills in quick-hit or long-game ambitions. Crossplay evens the playing field between Xbox and PlayStation gamers, expanding the opponent base and obliterating the tribal line that separates console loyalists.
A new physics system emulates real-life wear and tear on players, emphasizing the tax that a game and season can take on starters. Offseason, there is a major emphasis on recruiting from the transfer portal and making use of NIL treasure troves to satisfy star prospects from other schools, as well as keeping those on your roster satisfied.
With a fine-tuned ear for the pageantry, rivalries, action and excitement that makes the college game stand out in pop culture, "EA Sports NCAA Football 26" is yet another resounding success for the revitalized franchise. I relished the time I've spent with the game, and look forward to returning every week throughout the season as I relive the highlights I watched on Saturdays and try to make right everything that went wrong for my poor Wildcats.
Publisher provided review code.
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