Superstar mode crashing on PC

Every single time I’ve gone into superstar mode and do “prove yourself” I go into the combine, as soon as I skip the cutscene the game crashes instantly. I’ve waited until the cutscene is over on its own and same thing, crashes. I’ve turned off all background applications, restarted my PC, turned graphics to the lowest possible, updated drivers, etc. nothing works. This is playing the game directly through EA too, not steam. I have a 10 hr trial and I can tell you rn, it’s not a good selling point for me to purchase the game for $70 when it doesn’t work…. Please fix it, **bleep**s mad annoying.