Not much different than Empire: Total War, but they stayed with the tried and true and met expectations.
Graphics seem a little better as well as the sound. The campaign is improved as well. I was hoping the AI would be tweaked a little bit, but since Empire first came out, I really don't see any marked improvement over how the units act. Everything still seems a bit "robotic" to me and I'd like to see a little more realism in the tactical battles. However, with that said, they are slowly but surely making progress with this engine.
I have not finished the campaign yet, but that is what I was hoping for. A nice long campaign to get my money's worth. I learned a lot about the time period and how warfare was conducted in the 1700-1800's.
In hindsight, I would like to see some more History Channel material with these games like they did with Medieval Total War.
All in all, definitely pick up this great title if you are a fan of the series and genre.