head to head
vs
Outer WildsvsSimCity 3000
Outer Wilds leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); SimCity 3000 leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Outer WildsSimCity 3000
Axis by axis
Execution2 vs 1
Outer Wilds leans harder on execution: Light piloting, mostly forgiving
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance1 vs 2
SimCity 3000 leans harder on variance: Random disasters and neighbor deal 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.