head to head
vs
DiRT Rally 2.0vsMario Kart DS
DiRT Rally 2.0 leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Mario Kart DS leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
DiRT Rally 2.0Mario Kart DS
Axis by axis
Execution9 vs 8
DiRT Rally 2.0 leans harder on execution: Millimetre steering corrections at speed define stage time
Reads1 vs 3
Mario Kart DS leans harder on reads: Online opponents punish predictable lines
Variance4 vs 4
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization6 vs 5
DiRT Rally 2.0 leans harder on optimization: Car setup and service-park tyre choices are fully solvable pre-stage
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.