head to head
vs
Cataclysm: Dark Days AheadvsX-COM: UFO Defense
Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos); X-COM: UFO Defense leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos).
Cataclysm: Dark Days AheadX-COM: UFO Defense
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 1
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance7 vs 6
Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead leans harder on variance: Procedural world and scavenging luck shape early survival
Optimization9 vs 8
Cataclysm: Dark Days Ahead leans harder on optimization: Crafting, vehicles, and base systems reward near-endless mastery
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.