I've had the good fortune to have played this game for over a year, first as a volunteer playtester at SSSI, and now as the owner of a copy of the retail release of the game ( for which I gladly paid $50 ). I can tell you that Rise & Fall is much better than most of the reviewers have rated it, especially if you truly like RTS games but are looking for something fresh. I am a seasoned RTS player, and that is exactly what I was looking for and found with Rise & Fall.
This game isn't a rehash of Rome: Total War. It is a true, epic, RTS game. You'll have large land battles, you'll have complex, gripping naval warfare, and you'll be able to get down and dirty on the battlefield in 3rd person combat. You've got all the basic RTS elements of economy, unit micromanagement and strategic decision-making with regard to map control. But the mix of all these elements is what makes it much more fun than any RTS I've played in years. The economy is slightly streamlined, giving you more time to manage and enjoy the visuals provided by the huge battles in the game, and to use your hero effectively.
The bottom line is, while not everyone can or will like this (or any other) game, if you're the right type of player, you will absolutely love Rise & Fall. It is FUN to play, and it is very interesting in multi-player. Try the demo, and realize it's just a teaser, not a true representation of the game or the Campaigns. If you play it 4 times and don't like it, don't buy it. But if you like it after the first play, you're going to love it in the full version.
The game has only one drawback, and that is with respect to system requirements. You absolutely must have a good 3D video card with at least 128 MB of RAM. The faster/better your system, the more you'll enjoy the game. The graphics are stunning, but you can't enjoy them at their best without a high-end system. Evidently, they didn't tell the reviewers this important piece of information, since most of them complained about "slow frame-rates".