head to head
vs
Middle-earth: Shadow of WarvsStarfield
Middle-earth: Shadow of War leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery); Starfield leans Optimization (Practiced Mastery).
Middle-earth: Shadow of WarStarfield
Axis by axis
Execution5 vs 5
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads1 vs 1
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance4 vs 3
Middle-earth: Shadow of War leans harder on variance: Random orc traits, betrayals, and fortress compositions
Optimization7 vs 7
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.