head to head
vs
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic GamesvsNeed for Speed II
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Need for Speed II leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic GamesNeed for Speed II
Axis by axis
Execution7 vs 7
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads2 vs 1
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games leans harder on reads: Human rivals race in parallel; little interaction
Variance1 vs 1
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization3 vs 4
Need for Speed II leans harder on optimization: Learning six tracks' racing lines and car choice
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.