head to head

Colin McRae: Dirt 2 cover artvsMetal Slug 5 cover art

Colin McRae: Dirt 2vsMetal Slug 5

Colin McRae: Dirt 2 leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Metal Slug 5 leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).

EXECUTION8 /10READS0 /10VARIANCE2 /10OPTIMIZATION4 /10
Colin McRae: Dirt 2Metal Slug 5

Axis by axis

Execution8 vs 9

Metal Slug 5 leans harder on execution: precise dodge/shoot run-and-gun demands

Reads0 vs 0

Even - both lean on reads about the same.

Variance2 vs 2

Even - both lean on variance about the same.

Optimization4 vs 3

Colin McRae: Dirt 2 leans harder on optimization: car tuning and racing lines 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.

full breakdown

Colin McRae: Dirt 2

full breakdown

Metal Slug 5