head to head
vs
Golden Axe IIvsX-Blades
Golden Axe II leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); X-Blades leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
Golden Axe IIX-Blades
Axis by axis
Execution6 vs 6
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 1
X-Blades leans harder on reads: enemies scripted, no real adaptation
Variance2 vs 2
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization3 vs 3
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.