Terrible, totally different from the original, overall disappointment.
Graphics/Environment 5/10: I believe that in the original game the "cartoony" graphics made it fun and interesting. The attempt to convert to a more "realistic" look failed in this game. It's a very odd type of graphics, if I could summarize it into a word it would be "old", the water looks grey and odd compared to the firsts blue and clear look which I personally found better suited. The graphics in this game are dark as well creating a darker environment, which is also "unpleasing" to the eyes (then wait until the various weather effects take place, in rain it becomes a terrible pain to see).
Sound/Music 3/10: Empire Earth doesn't really have a "soundtrack" just generic war music like the first so no special "kudos" in that department, and the usual sword sounds can be heard but nothing stands out in this area.
Control 3/10: What the heck? This game has got to be one of the most confusing RTS games I've played to date. The interface is not user friendly, and after loving the old interface to transfer to this one is a complete and total change. Veterans from the original could take awhile before they become accustomed to this game and its numerous menus and options. We all love options but keeping it simple and user friendly always helps, well this game completely avoids simple and user friendly and goes straight to annoying and frustrating, which takes the fun out of the game.
Gameplay 4/10: Yet again very confusing and frustrating. The creators of the game seemed to just want to take every RTS they ever played and just throw in every building/unit they ever saw without thinking about balance. They sure did take a lot of time explaining the different unit types though. For example the tutorial spent about 5-10 minutes explaining the different unit types and how effective they were over other unit types, which seemed never ending. So maybe your a fan of the "complex" matchups but in the original Empire Earth the few classes were very well suited in my opinion. Theirs so many different buildings now as well just jumbled in together rather then the "effective" amount of buildings from the first.
Overall 4/10:I hate to give harsh reviews as I know how much time and effort are put into games, but the fact of the matter is the original installment of the game was thrilling for myself and others, and then going to this was a complete disappointment. I feel the game was tried to be a "copy-cat" of other RTS games out today, which sucked the uniqueness and fun right out of the game. The original game was promising and could have been updated in a smart way, Empire Earth II doesn't resemble the first in the least bit and I wish it had been titled something else so I could keep hoping for another great title in the franchise. Unfortunately that did not happen, and I'll have to think more then twice before I purchase an "Empire Earth III".