head to head
vs
Silent Hunter IIIvsXCOM: Enemy Unknown
Silent Hunter III leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos); XCOM: Enemy Unknown leans Optimization (Systems & Chaos).
Silent Hunter IIIXCOM: Enemy Unknown
Axis by axis
Execution3 vs 3
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads1 vs 1
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance6 vs 7
XCOM: Enemy Unknown leans harder on variance: Hit chances, crit rolls, and mission spawns create constant RNG swings
Optimization7 vs 8
XCOM: Enemy Unknown leans harder on optimization: Squad composition, research order, and base economy are solvable
Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.