I have just flown the MCC. It was a course just being approved (I understandthey didn't need approval until this year, and that this was the first approved course in the country, as the rest are all working on grandfather rights) by the CAA. The CAA inspector did not say anything while we were being encouraged to fly the whole thing on autopilot for the very reasons suggested above.
As groundloop implies hand flying the aircraft takes a lot of effort and concentration if you are not used to large, fast aircraft and so takes away from the purpose of the MCC. This is not a type rating!
As for any connection with a sim check, remember that sim checks should be testing your rate of progress under instruction, not your ability initially to fly an aircraft of a type you have never flown before. OK, so it is probable worth practicing, because it is hard for people to keep objective, but I would more suggest you do so by practicing procedures at a similar speed, leave the type-specific handling to the check itself, and show how much you can learn there without mistaking the procedures for which you are conveniently current.
It was great to do on a large, complicated aircraft. I will probably never fly a wide-bodied jet with a clockwork cockpit, so it was great to get the experience on the Tristar.