head to head
vs
Metal SlugvsWild Guns
Metal Slug leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); Wild Guns leans Execution (Pure Mechanics).
Metal SlugWild Guns
Axis by axis
Execution8 vs 8
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance1 vs 2
Wild Guns leans harder on variance: Bullet spawns vary slightly until patterns are absorbed
Optimization6 vs 5
Metal Slug leans harder on optimization: One-credit clears come from memorising routes and spawn patterns
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.