Building comparison
head to head
Black MesavsSyphon Filter
Neither is harder. They score identically on all four axes, so the difference between them is in kind, not degree.
Black Mesa
Execution · Practiced Mastery
Fan-built ground-up remake of Half-Life with a reimagined Xen.
Syphon Filter
Execution · Practiced Mastery
The PS1 third-person espionage shooter following agent Gabe Logan against a viral terror plot.
Black Mesa leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Syphon Filter leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Black MesaSyphon Filter
Axis by axis
Execution6 vs 6
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Black Mesa
Classic FPS aim and platforming sequences
Syphon Filter
Taser duels and headshots under pressure test the hands
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Black Mesa
Marines and aliens follow set scripts
Syphon Filter
Terrorist AI is scripted spawns and patterns
Variance2 vs 2
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Black Mesa
Minor enemy placement surprises first run
Syphon Filter
Minor first-run uncertainty in enemy placements
Optimization6 vs 6
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Black Mesa
Route, resource, and encounter knowledge
Syphon Filter
Memorizing levels and weapon stashes makes runs routine
A matching score does not mean a matching test. Two games can both sit at 10 on execution and demand completely different things of you - which is why the reasoning above matters more than the number beside it.