Catchy Style!
All of China is a your disposal to conquer, ally with, and control. Even complete strangers to DW will enjoy Empires. A few downsides to the game is that the talking can get really repetitive along with the battles as well. Though the special tactics and strategies help even out the battles to give it a more dynamic twist, each time you fight. Edit officers are fun to mess with too.
DW5 Empires also offers more complex length. You don't just fight endless battles that are chosen for you over and over again. The different war scenarios increase the game's fun value and length. Another minor setback in fighting is that when an opponent is killed they just whelp, crumple to the ground and dissapear in a few seconds bloodlessly. A little more of a "whack em good game" than actual warfare.
Siege weapons don't really play much of a role either, you can't purcahse siege weapons for certain battles. If needed a siege tower may appear every now and then but other than for base defenses, catapults and such don't play a role at all. Overall the game is very addictive, fun, and involves you yourself more than in past DW games. Fun for multiplayer too!