head to head
vs
Fallout: New VegasvsPopulous: The Beginning
Fallout: New Vegas leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Populous: The Beginning leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Fallout: New VegasPopulous: The Beginning
Axis by axis
Execution4 vs 4
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads1 vs 2
Populous: The Beginning leans harder on reads: Multiplayer shaman duels involve some opponent prediction.
Variance2 vs 2
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
Optimization8 vs 7
Fallout: New Vegas leans harder on optimization: Faction routing, perks, builds heavily rewarded
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.