It’s the middle of summer, and as I write this, it’s nearly 100 degrees in Chicago. Naturally, I’m daydreaming about football season. That’s partially a mental reprieve from the harsh heat, but also because I’ve spent quite a bit of time lately in EA Sports College Football 27. In what feels like the best game since its relaunch, EA has had a rocky start thanks to poor microtransaction choices that led to a boycott, reversal of said microtransactions, and now a weird feeling hanging over the game. Let’s address that first, and then dive into the actual gameplay for this Xbox Series X review of EA Sports College Football 27.

Originally, College Football 27 included microtransactions in single-player modes that helped you boost a coach or player’s development by paying real money. This is a practice we know well in NBA 2K. This insertion of pay-to-progress mechanics was made worse with the removal of progress sliders, which allowed you to level up faster if your goal wasn’t to play a 20-season dynasty with your favorite team. The hashtag #CFBPlayDontPay caught on, and as of July 11, microtransactions in Road to Glory and Online Dynasty have been removed.

It’s a shame this is how the game launched, because overall, I can’t say enough good things about the actual gameplay. EA’s focus on improved tackling control, driven by analog input, is making defense more fun than ever. Not to mention, formation shifting and pre-play choices are now almost as fun as picking actual plays. Alignment strategy has never been my thing in football sims, but now, I’m adjusting personnel right up until the snap.

Defense really does feel like the star of the show this year, with 31 playbooks included versus last year’s nine playbooks. How WRs and DBs fight now is equally thrilling and frustrating, at least when you’re on the losing end of a battle. The faster-paced action of College Football games compared to the pace of Madden NFL 26 makes this game thrilling, but the added depth and intelligence to how defenses play zones, fight for coverage, and stick to star offensive players is a huge leap forward.

Many of the improvements to Dynasty Mode this year felt overshadowed by the microtransactions, but I also feel like some of the program-building systems were a bit of a letdown. New improvements to coaching staff hires, including a carousel system that allows you to hop to other schools, seem a year away from feeling really intuitive. Likewise, facility upgrades and a new NIL focus in scouting are all great introductions, but not quite impactful to how I experienced my four-season run taking over the Northern Illinois Huskies for a rebuild.

In Road to Glory, the game’s Career Mode, you can now play as an Edge Rusher, Safety, and Tight End, in addition to past positions featured. Starting in high school, you work your way up to a top draft candidate, and eventually, you can transfer your legacy score into Madden when Madden 27 releases. I have never enjoyed Road to Glory, and I didn’t find much to change my mind in this year’s offering. Dynasty Mode is where I spend most of my time in EA College Football, and that won’t change this year.

One new addition that did get a lot of my time: Mascot Mashup. Returning in EA Sports College Football 27, you can choose from 10 mascots to take on one another at the start of this mode, eventually expanding to 120. With max stats, tons of dances and celebrations, and the joy of watching trick plays ensue between Longhorns, Spartans, and Ducks, it’s so funny that this ridiculous experience is the second-most played mode of my review time.

Other presentation elements like dynamic weather changes, sideline reporter Holly Rowe commenting during the game, and college football recaps in between plays during Dynasty Mode from Joel Klatt are all really great touches. There’s so much good here in EA Sports College Football 27 that the microtransaction debacle soured slightly, so hopefully, as time goes on, it doesn’t feel like we’re waiting out an impending return of pay-to-progress features in College Football 28. For now, the third time’s the charm for the relaunched College Football series.

An Xbox Series X review copy of EA Sports College Football 27 was provided by EA for this review.

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EA Sports College Football 27

69.99

8

Score

8.0/10

Pros

• Mascot game mode is back
• Good presentation additions
• Defense reigns supreme this year, and feels great

Cons

• Microtransactions are clearly coming for us, despite a rollback this year
• Dynasty improvements don't feel like they make the game all that better
• Road to Glory continues to underwhelm