I must have enjoyed MUT 24, right? I mean, I must have played it for 100 hours by now. Maybe not that many. But too many. I've managed to log on every day, and so I've more or less maxed out on any progress I could make apart from Head-to-Head. And since it's really uncertain whether EA intends to finish this next week by giving non-online players a path to finishing some of the season passes, I did what anyone would do when looking for a few extra XP: Try my hand at a couple House Rules Super Plays. Actually, four. I lost -- no -- I got smoked in all four.
I could summarize my experience this way: I played against teams that moved on the field like All-Madden players, while my 85 OVR team felt like it was running through mud. Although I managed an interception in three of the four games, and overall felt like I coached good games and played with skill, I couldn't consistently move the ball on offense. I lacked a competitive rushing attack for online purposes, and my quarterback was constantly under immediate pressure from four-man rushes. I couldn't stomach a fifth game.
Two weeks ago I took a shot at the College Overtime House Rules games, and I actually split my attempts. At the time, it felt like my team still matched evenly against my opponents', and that skill and coaching decided the results. Not anymore. Maybe it was the time of day I played these games, and I suppose I should expect that Saturday Night Gamers would be a different breed. But it was astonishing to think that there could be that much of a gap in skill between so many opponents. I felt like I was playing a different game tonight, and with one hand tied behind my back, perhaps against gamers who manipulate gaming AI far better than they know football. Perhaps. (A tip I did pick up: If you get an interception in Super Plays but can't move the ball on offense, don't punt if the opponent will take possession without the opportunity to score the full 15 points; you're guaranteed another possession and a chance to win with a touchdown. Too bad I could never move the ball but in fits and starts.)
The reality is that my competitive gaming days are 25 years behind me, and I'm not interested in pretending I could compete at that level today. Still, this is all to add context to the fact that while I have enjoyed MUT 24 for the most part, I am effectively shut out of access to some of the shiny toys that the top-tier and/or top-spending players enjoy. George Pickens is out of reach, and even if he wouldn't be on my team three months from now, it would have been nice to have access to him, or to the second Legend pack available through Competitive XP. Without additional objectives, I won't be able to finish the Campus Heroes or Headliners field passes, and I'll barely manage to get Jalen Ramsey upgraded to 89 OVR.
I'm going to get some sleep, and I'll enjoy MUT 24 more tomorrow, but as a non-competitive, offline MUT 24 gamer, I'd appreciate some assurances that I won't be treated as a second-class gamer. I thought that the two classes of Competitive Pass players was a brilliant idea to give the online gamer a trophy to chase, and I'm all for that. As an offline grinder, I actually like the concept of unlocking the Gridiron Guardians challenges by collecting player items, and while this hasn't been well-received by many gamers, there's tremendous positive potential for the concept. I just don't like how the current setup has tended to funnel offline players into modes the casual MUT player simply cannot enjoy.
Have a great day, everyone.