head to head
vs
NBA 2K2vsNew World: Aeternum
NBA 2K2 leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); New World: Aeternum leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
NBA 2K2New World: Aeternum
Axis by axis
Execution6 vs 7
New World: Aeternum leans harder on execution: Active dodge-block-aim combat demands real twitch skill
Reads5 vs 4
NBA 2K2 leans harder on reads: human opponent play-calling mind games
Variance3 vs 3
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization6 vs 6
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.