head to head

Alone in the Dark: Inferno cover artvsGrand Theft Auto: San Andreas cover art

Alone in the Dark: InfernovsGrand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Alone in the Dark: Inferno leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery); Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).

EXECUTION4 /10READS0 /10VARIANCE3 /10OPTIMIZATION5 /10
Alone in the Dark: InfernoGrand Theft Auto: San Andreas

Axis by axis

Execution4 vs 4

Even - both lean on execution about the same.

Reads0 vs 0

Even - both lean on reads about the same.

Variance3 vs 2

Alone in the Dark: Inferno leans harder on variance: Scripted-but-unknown enemy encounters and item placement.

Optimization5 vs 6

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas leans harder on optimization: Stats, gym, weapon skill, and routes reward systematic play

Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.

full breakdown

Alone in the Dark: Inferno

full breakdown

Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas