Building comparison
head to head
Metal SlugvsSonic Generations
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is execution, and it is a single point.
Metal Slug
Execution · Practiced Mastery
Twitch dodging and shooting layered over memorised arcade stage routes.
Sonic Generations
Execution · Practiced Mastery
Executing memorised high-speed routes through deterministic platforming levels.
Metal Slug leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Sonic Generations leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Metal SlugSonic Generations
Axis by axis
Execution8 vs 7
Metal Slug leans a little harder on execution, though the gap is small.
Metal Slug
Dodging dense bullet patterns and precise shots carry every credit
Sonic Generations
Holding speed through precise jumps and boosts is the test
Reads0 vs 0
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Metal Slug
Enemies follow fixed arcade scripts, never adapt
Sonic Generations
No opponent; bosses are fixed patterns
Variance1 vs 0
Metal Slug leans a little harder on variance, though the gap is small.
Metal Slug
Spawns are nearly deterministic once a stage is learned
Sonic Generations
Levels are fully deterministic
Optimization6 vs 6
Same score on optimization - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Metal Slug
One-credit clears come from memorising routes and spawn patterns
Sonic Generations
S-ranks come from memorising optimal routes and shortcuts
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.