head to head
vs
SimCityvsThe Settlers II: 10th Anniversary
SimCity leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); The Settlers II: 10th Anniversary leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).
SimCityThe Settlers II: 10th Anniversary
Axis by axis
Execution1 vs 2
The Settlers II: 10th Anniversary leans harder on execution: Slow road-laying needs no dexterity at all
Reads1 vs 2
The Settlers II: 10th Anniversary leans harder on reads: AI opponents expand on predictable scripts
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.