head to head
vs
Half-LifevsShadow Man
Half-Life leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Shadow Man leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).
Half-LifeShadow Man
Axis by axis
Execution6 vs 5
Half-Life leans harder on execution: Combat aim and infamous platforming sections
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance2 vs 2
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization6 vs 7
Shadow Man leans harder on optimization: Non-linear Metroid-style routing of Dark Souls collectibles dominates
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.