Has great potential, but poorly implemented DRM detracts.
This is my first Settlers series game, and I was drawn in after staying away from the RTS genre for several years.
The early game play and tutorial are helpful, and the easy ramp into the complexity of the economy is a great add. As another reviewer noted, the multiple paths to victory add to the gameplay unlike any other game I have seen, and is very enjoyable, giving you several options to pursue in your conquests. The graphics and interface are more pleasant than other games in this genre I have played, however with all graphics settings on high, the game still seems to mix some very crisp, pretty iconography with a slightly muddled and soft feel for terrain and buildings. Either on their own would be fine, however when they are right on top of each other the effect is unsettling, but still very playable.
While the above has the makings of an excellent game overall, it is all eclipsed by one factor of the game, the DRM. I believe that well implemented DRM is not a bad thing (Steam, where I purchased this game is a good example), as it keeps good games coming in the industry, however if this is where Ubisoft headed with DRM, I'll probably stay away from their titles in the future. I should be playing their game right now, but their DRM servers stopped working during the middle of my last game and kicked me off, and this is far from the first time. If you were not aware, this game requires an active connection their servers at all times, unlike other games which check at install or even start-up. This means that if their servers hiccup, your wireless connection drops momentarily, or heaven forbid you want to play the game in a location without Internet (like a hotel or airplane) you are left without recourse.
Ubisoft: This is the worst DRM I have seen in any game to date from any publisher. As someone who manages a product line for a living, I'm shocked your product team would ever let such a poorly conceived scheme get into the specs, much less ship. I have never rated a game this low, but this is an inexcusable product decision in my eyes, and will move my money to your competition.