head to head
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is variance, and it is a single point.

Execution · Practiced Mastery
Punishing platforming execution over learnable boss orders and part builds.

Execution · Practiced Mastery
Twitch dodging and shooting layered over memorised arcade stage routes.
Mega Man X6 leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Metal Slug leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Mega Man X6
Cruel platforming and boss windows demand frame-tight inputs
Metal Slug
Dodging dense bullet patterns and precise shots carry every credit
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Mega Man X6
Bosses are fixed pattern sets
Metal Slug
Enemies follow fixed arcade scripts, never adapt
Mega Man X6 leans a little harder on variance, though the gap is small.
Mega Man X6
The Nightmare System shuffles level hazards between runs
Metal Slug
Spawns are nearly deterministic once a stage is learned
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Mega Man X6
Weapon orders, armor parts and route knowledge are essential
Metal Slug
One-credit clears come from memorising routes and spawn patterns
A matching score does not mean a matching test. Two games can both sit at 10 on execution and demand completely different things of you - which is why the reasoning above matters more than the number beside it.