head to head
vs
SimCity 4vsZeus: Master of Olympus
SimCity 4 leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); Zeus: Master of Olympus leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
SimCity 4Zeus: Master of Olympus
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 0
SimCity 4 leans harder on execution: Point-and-click placement; zero reflex requirement
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.