head to head
vs
Mega Man X8vsSuper Metroid
Mega Man X8 leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Super Metroid leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Mega Man X8Super Metroid
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.
Variance1 vs 1
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization6 vs 7
Super Metroid leans harder on optimization: Sequence-breaking route optimisation is the enduring meta-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.