head to head
vs
After Burner IIvsShank
After Burner II leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Shank leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
After Burner IIShank
Axis by axis
Execution8 vs 7
After Burner II leans harder on execution: reflex-heavy dodging and shooting
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance1 vs 1
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization2 vs 3
Shank leans harder on optimization: Weapon-swap combo routing rewards some lab work
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.