head to head
vs
Lost Kingdoms IIvsS.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
Lost Kingdoms II leans Variance (Systems & Chaos); S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).
Lost Kingdoms IIS.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl
Axis by axis
Execution4 vs 5
S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl leans harder on execution: Ballistic gunplay punishes sloppy aim
Reads1 vs 1
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance6 vs 5
Lost Kingdoms II leans harder on variance: Card draws heavily influence available combat options.
Optimization6 vs 6
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.