head to head
vs
Ace Combat 2vsSteep
Ace Combat 2 leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Steep leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
Ace Combat 2Steep
Axis by axis
Execution7 vs 7
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads1 vs 0
Ace Combat 2 leans harder on reads: enemy planes scripted, not adaptive
Variance2 vs 1
Ace Combat 2 leans harder on variance: mission encounter variance is modest
Optimization4 vs 4
Even - both lean on optimization about the same.
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.