head to head
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is execution, and it is a single point.

Optimization · Pure Optimization
Co-op LEGO brawler where unlocking the right character to grab every collectible is the game.

Optimization · Practiced Mastery
Slow-burn revenge adventure built on daily routines, detective legwork, and QTEs in 1986 Yokosuka.
LEGO Batman: The Videogame leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Shenmue leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).
Shenmue leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
LEGO Batman: The Videogame
Button-mashy combat with no real fail state
Shenmue
QTEs and light brawling demand modest timing
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
LEGO Batman: The Videogame
Scripted goons and bosses
Shenmue
NPCs run daily scripts; nothing adapts to you
Shenmue leans a little harder on variance, though the gap is small.
LEGO Batman: The Videogame
Stud and brick locations fixed
Shenmue
First playthrough leans on not knowing schedules and clues
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
LEGO Batman: The Videogame
Character-ability gating drives collectible completion
Shenmue
Clue order, NPC schedules, and move training are fully mappable
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.