head to head
vs
Dungeon Keeper 2vsThe Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring
Dungeon Keeper 2 leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Dungeon Keeper 2The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring
Axis by axis
Execution3 vs 4
The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring leans harder on execution: RTS micro and hotkey speed help but ceilings are low
Reads1 vs 2
The Lord of the Rings: War of the Ring leans harder on reads: Multiplayer adds mild scouting mind games; campaign AI is scripted
Variance2 vs 2
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization7 vs 7
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.