head to head
vs
Donkey KongvsR-Type Final 2
Donkey Kong leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); R-Type Final 2 leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).
Donkey KongR-Type Final 2
Axis by axis
Execution8 vs 7
Donkey Kong leans harder on execution: Frame-tight jumps over barrels under arcade pressure
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance1 vs 2
R-Type Final 2 leans harder on variance: Minimal RNG; stages are fully deterministic once learned
Optimization6 vs 8
R-Type Final 2 leans harder on optimization: Force pod attachment strategy and ship selection are deeply solvable systems
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.