head to head
vs
Dead SpacevsRise of the Tomb Raider
Dead Space leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Rise of the Tomb Raider leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).
Dead SpaceRise of the Tomb Raider
Axis by axis
Execution6 vs 5
Dead Space leans harder on execution: Precise limb-targeting under pressure is the combat core
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance3 vs 2
Dead Space leans harder on variance: Ambush placements are scripted-but-unknown on a first run
Optimization6 vs 6
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.