head to head
vs
Rolling Thunder 2vsStreets of Rage 4
Rolling Thunder 2 leans Execution (Pure Mechanics); Streets of Rage 4 leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Rolling Thunder 2Streets of Rage 4
Axis by axis
Execution8 vs 7
Rolling Thunder 2 leans harder on execution: Precise shooting, cover-jumping and timing carry every stage
Reads1 vs 2
Streets of Rage 4 leans harder on reads: Enemies use scripted attack patterns; no adaptive opponent
Variance2 vs 2
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization5 vs 5
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.