head to head
vs
Age of War 2vsEuropa Universalis IV
Age of War 2 leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Europa Universalis IV leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Age of War 2Europa Universalis IV
Axis by axis
Execution2 vs 2
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads3 vs 3
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance2 vs 3
Europa Universalis IV leans harder on variance: events, mission paths
Optimization8 vs 9
Europa Universalis IV leans harder on optimization: idea groups, economy, mana spending
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.