head to head
Splinter Cell: Blacklist asks more than Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and the gap is execution.

Optimization · Practiced Mastery
A sprawling open-world crime epic with RPG-style character stats across a whole state.

Optimization · Practiced Mastery
Choosing between three distinct playstyle routes through consistent guard layouts for optimal SMI scores.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery); Splinter Cell: Blacklist leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).
Splinter Cell: Blacklist leans clearly harder on execution.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Flying school and drive-bys need decent hands
Splinter Cell: Blacklist
Mark-and-execute and fast takedowns raise the physical ceiling
Splinter Cell: Blacklist leans a little harder on reads, though the gap is small.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Gang AI is scripted, never adaptive
Splinter Cell: Blacklist
Enemies react on scripted alert logic, not player-specific profiling
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
Territory wars and traffic add light randomness
Splinter Cell: Blacklist
Patrol density and item placement are consistent across runs
Splinter Cell: Blacklist 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
Splinter Cell: Blacklist
SMI scoring system incentivises optimal ghost, panther, or assault routing
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.