head to head

Dead or Alive 4 cover artvsMortal Kombat X cover art

Dead or Alive 4vsMortal Kombat X

Dead or Alive 4 leans Execution (Competitive PvP); Mortal Kombat X leans Execution (Grand Arena).

EXECUTION8 /10READS8 /10VARIANCE1 /10OPTIMIZATION5 /10
Dead or Alive 4Mortal Kombat X

Axis by axis

Execution8 vs 8

Even - both lean on execution about the same.

Reads8 vs 8

Even - both lean on reads about the same.

Variance1 vs 1

Even - both lean on variance about the same.

Optimization5 vs 6

Mortal Kombat X leans harder on optimization: Variation selection and optimal punish routes require systematic study

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

Dead or Alive 4

full breakdown

Mortal Kombat X