head to head
vs
Mario Bros.vsMetal Warriors
Mario Bros. leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Metal Warriors leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
Mario Bros.Metal Warriors
Axis by axis
Execution7 vs 7
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads1 vs 2
Metal Warriors leans harder on reads: Versus mode adds light human prediction; campaign is scripted
Variance2 vs 1
Mario Bros. leans harder on variance: Enemy spawns vary slightly but patterns are quickly learned
Optimization4 vs 4
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.