head to head
vs
Hearts of Iron IIIvsPlague Inc: Evolved
Hearts of Iron III leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Plague Inc: Evolved leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Hearts of Iron IIIPlague Inc: Evolved
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 1
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads2 vs 1
Hearts of Iron III leans harder on reads: Multiplayer fronts involve some human outguessing
Variance3 vs 4
Plague Inc: Evolved leans harder on variance: country event timing
Optimization9 vs 9
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.