head to head
vs
Mega Man 5vsSonic the Hedgehog 3
Mega Man 5 leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Sonic the Hedgehog 3 leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Mega Man 5Sonic the Hedgehog 3
Axis by axis
Execution7 vs 7
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance0 vs 1
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 leans harder on variance: Levels never change between runs
Optimization6 vs 5
Mega Man 5 leans harder on optimization: Weapon-order routing and pattern memorisation solve the game
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.