head to head
vs
Grand Theft AutovsMidtown Madness
Grand Theft Auto leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Midtown Madness leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Grand Theft AutoMidtown Madness
Axis by axis
Execution5 vs 6
Midtown Madness leans harder on execution: Chaotic city driving at speed
Reads0 vs 1
Midtown Madness leans harder on reads: AI opponents follow set behaviors
Variance3 vs 3
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization5 vs 5
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.