head to head
Neither is meaningfully harder - they pose close to the same test. The widest gap is optimization, and it is a single point.

Reads · Mind & Math
A football sim where predicting opponent play calls drives competitive matches.

Optimization · Mind & Math
Tolkien RTS where build orders and army counters decide the war for Middle-earth.
Tecmo Super Bowl III: Final Edition leans Reads (Mind & Math); The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth leans Optimization (Mind & Math).
Same score on execution - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Tecmo Super Bowl III: Final Edition
Movement and timing inputs matter but aren't twitch-heavy
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth
Micro and multitasking under real-time pressure
Same score on reads - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Tecmo Super Bowl III: Final Edition
Predicting opponent play calls is central in versus
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth
Multiplayer rewards predicting opponent army choices
Same score on variance - which means the number cannot separate them. The difference is in what each one asks of you.
Tecmo Super Bowl III: Final Edition
Play outcomes carry some randomness
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth
Scouting hides enemy composition until revealed
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth leans a little harder on optimization, though the gap is small.
Tecmo Super Bowl III: Final Edition
Playbook, formations and roster choices reward planning
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth
Build orders and counter units are largely solvable
A matching score does not mean a matching test. Two games can both sit at 10 on execution and demand completely different things of you - which is why the reasoning above matters more than the number beside it.
full breakdown
Tecmo Super Bowl III: Final Edition →
full breakdown
The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth →