head to head
vs
SimCity 4vsX3: Reunion
SimCity 4 leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); X3: Reunion leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
SimCity 4X3: Reunion
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 2
X3: Reunion leans harder on execution: Dogfighting exists but trade empires win without twitch
Reads0 vs 0
Even - both lean on reads about the same.
Variance3 vs 2
SimCity 4 leans harder on variance: Neighbor city interactions and demand curves add unpredictability
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.