head to head
vs
Empire Earth IIvsStar Wars: Empire at War
Empire Earth II leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Star Wars: Empire at War leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Empire Earth IIStar Wars: Empire at War
Axis by axis
Execution4 vs 3
Empire Earth II leans harder on execution: Multitasking across fronts needs real APM at scale
Reads5 vs 5
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance3 vs 2
Empire Earth II leans harder on variance: Map layouts and enemy plans are hidden until scouted
Optimization8 vs 8
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.