head to head
vs
Super Mario Bros. CrossovervsThe Messenger
Super Mario Bros. Crossover leans Execution (Practiced Mastery); The Messenger leans Execution (Practiced Mastery).
Super Mario Bros. CrossoverThe Messenger
Axis by axis
Execution7 vs 7
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance0 vs 1
The Messenger leans harder on variance: deterministic level design
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.