head to head
vs
Comix ZonevsPac-Mania
Comix Zone leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Pac-Mania leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Comix ZonePac-Mania
Axis by axis
Execution8 vs 7
Comix Zone leans harder on execution: Brutal one-life brawling demands clean play
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance1 vs 2
Pac-Mania leans harder on variance: Ghost movements add mild run-to-run unpredictability
Optimization5 vs 5
Even - both lean on optimization about the same.
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.