head to head
vs
SimCity 4vsSurviving Mars
SimCity 4 leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Surviving Mars leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
SimCity 4Surviving Mars
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 1
Even - both lean on execution about the same.
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance3 vs 4
Surviving Mars leans harder on variance: disasters, sponsor traits
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.