head to head
vs
Rome: Total WarvsSpellForce 2: Shadow Wars
Rome: Total War leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); SpellForce 2: Shadow Wars leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
Rome: Total WarSpellForce 2: Shadow Wars
Axis by axis
Execution3 vs 4
SpellForce 2: Shadow Wars leans harder on execution: unit micro and hero control require some skill
Reads2 vs 3
SpellForce 2: Shadow Wars leans harder on reads: reading human opponents in multiplayer skirmishes
Variance2 vs 2
Even - both lean on variance about the same.
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.