Building comparison
head to head
Grand Theft Auto: San AndreasvsNew Super Mario Bros. U
New Super Mario Bros. U asks more than Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and the gap is execution.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Optimization · Practiced Mastery
A sprawling open-world crime epic with RPG-style character stats across a whole state.
New Super Mario Bros. U
Execution · Practiced Mastery
The most demanding of the New Super Mario line, with brutal optional challenges.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery); New Super Mario Bros. U leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Grand Theft Auto: San AndreasNew Super Mario Bros. U
Axis by axis
Execution4 vs 7
New Super Mario Bros. U leans clearly harder on execution.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Flying school and drive-bys need decent hands
New Super Mario Bros. U
Challenge modes demand tight, precise platforming
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Gang AI is scripted, never adaptive
New Super Mario Bros. U
All enemy behavior is scripted
Variance2 vs 1
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas leans a little harder on variance, though the gap is small.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Territory wars and traffic add light randomness
New Super Mario Bros. U
Deterministic level layouts
Optimization6 vs 5
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Stats, gym, weapon skill, and routes reward systematic play
New Super Mario Bros. U
Routing star coins and secret world shortcuts
A matching score does not mean a matching test. Two games can both sit at 10 on execution and demand completely different things of you - which is why the reasoning above matters more than the number beside it.
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