head to head
vs
Metal Slug 5vsTotal Carnage
Metal Slug 5 leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Total Carnage leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
Metal Slug 5Total Carnage
Axis by axis
Execution9 vs 8
Metal Slug 5 leans harder on execution: precise dodge/shoot run-and-gun demands
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance2 vs 3
Total Carnage leans harder on variance: Enemy spawns add some randomness
Optimization3 vs 3
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.