head to head
vs
Quake 4vsSamurai Shodown III
Quake 4 leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Samurai Shodown III leans Execution (Competitive PvP).
Quake 4Samurai Shodown III
Axis by axis
Execution8 vs 8
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads5 vs 6
Samurai Shodown III leans harder on reads: human opponent mind games and baiting
Variance2 vs 1
Quake 4 leans harder on variance: Spawn and item timing add mild uncertainty
Optimization4 vs 4
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.