head to head
vs
Mafia IIvsThe Golden Compass
Mafia II leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); The Golden Compass leans Execution (Light / Casual).
Mafia IIThe Golden Compass
Axis by axis
Execution4 vs 3
Mafia II leans harder on execution: Cover shooting and fistfight timing
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance1 vs 1
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization4 vs 3
Mafia II leans harder on optimization: Modest; learning encounter layouts
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.