My experience so far had been ok-ish. The diplomatic situation for Carthage at the start is far too hostile, and only 2 factions will accept trade agreements (with hefty bribes). I'm just not getting that drive to attack and conquer like I did in CiG. The new background is quite good, but a bit oppressive to look at with the overly bold colour scheme. Perhaps they could tone down the aggressive purple.
I really liked the Zama battle, and the scripted AI works well here. Cannae was fine, I suppose, and the AI was again a respectable representation, I think I just expected more from the most spectacular battle of the ancient world. The Cannae armies are a little small, the Carthage cavalry contingent isn't strong/large enough and the actual strategies are never really going to work without a 'give ground/steady retreat' ability.
Also, what happened to Hannibal's beard? In all promo shots, loading screens, historical battle intros and videos he has a beard, but on the battle map, just a fuzzy stubble. He looks like a teenager. Where is my Hannibal beard?
Edit: I don't know maybe that post seemed too negative for such a small playtime (a few hours). I'll persevere and see if it grows on me.