head to head
vs
L.A. NoirevsMafia II
L.A. Noire leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos); Mafia II leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
L.A. NoireMafia II
Axis by axis
Execution2 vs 4
Mafia II leans harder on execution: Cover shooting and fistfight timing
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance4 vs 1
L.A. Noire leans harder on variance: Interrogation tells and clues hidden until discovered
Optimization5 vs 4
L.A. Noire leans harder on optimization: Evidence chains and question choices have fixed correct answers
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.