head to head
vs
Alien SwarmvsRise of the Tomb Raider
Alien Swarm leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Rise of the Tomb Raider leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).
Alien SwarmRise of the Tomb Raider
Axis by axis
Execution5 vs 5
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance3 vs 2
Alien Swarm leans harder on variance: Spawn timing varies modestly
Optimization5 vs 6
Rise of the Tomb Raider leans harder on optimization: Tomb puzzles, crafting, and collectible routing are solvable.
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.