head to head
vs
Empire: Total WarvsLEGO Battles
Empire: Total War leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); LEGO Battles leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Empire: Total WarLEGO Battles
Axis by axis
Execution2 vs 3
LEGO Battles leans harder on execution: Stylus micro on DS is gentle, not twitch-defining
Reads3 vs 3
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance3 vs 2
Empire: Total War leans harder on variance: Campaign AI and battle dice noise
Optimization8 vs 6
Empire: Total War leans harder on optimization: Campaign economy and line-infantry tactics are mappable
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.