Innovative, aspiring, and transcendent; but it could use a bit more work.
First, I'd like to compile a list: The good, the (mildly) bad, and the disgusting.
The good:
Pushes the RTS platform to an entire new level
Not a rip off of any other game
Great graphics
Size of maps is huge, or can be smaller for less drawn out matches
Plenty of innovative units
Factions are interesting
Characters are somewhat lifelike
Campaigns draw you in
Beginning sequences are quite neat
Battles are amazing, tons of strategy involved here
Commander feature is unique
Tech system works quite well
Good orchestral music, sound effects are quite good (especially the artillery :D)
The (mildly) bad: Expansion can be difficult, there is a tendency to choke on resources.
Lags down even the best computers on huge maps; reasonably well done but could be optimized better. Some of the unit names are quite stupid (banger, snoop, etc.) It's the year 3800 story is a bit ridiculous.
Should have more cinematics in between missions, and I would have liked a longer campaign.
Game often lacks the 'war' feel: there's a childish feeling that one gets from the characters and the whole battlefield, a bit of graphic violence and aggression would really help this and enhance the game. Who cares about the stupid E10+ rating? It's a friggin' warmgame, for christ's sake.
AI is often too easy and sometimes uses very stupid tactics.
The disgusting:
None.
Anyhow, I do believe that this is a good step in the right direction for the field of strategy gaming, and hopefully it's successors will push the platform to an entire new level. Though indubitably somewhat flawed, this game pushes the meaning of a strategy game so far that it's deserving of a stellar rating, and hopefully will be remembered as one of the main games that led to a new kind of RTS. What will we see in the upcoming years? Well, most likely a historical version of this on a massive scale, more sci fi games/modern combat games similar to this, or even a world war 2 rts. I can't entirely be sure, but hopefully they'll not only head in this direction but improve on it.
Lastly, I know that this game probably is not for everyone. Those who will enjoy it the most are those who desire strategy on a big scale, and those who don't have the patience or just like constant explosions will probably get bored, though there are plenty of those : )
9.0/10
-chaos