The game looks pretty, and ran well on my computer which is medium range. AoW3's story falls into an awkward middle between both AoW and SM. There are lead characters and protagonists, and each look different, but ultimately across the many campaigns they aren't well characterized. Your protagonists get a fair shot, with fully voice acted and quite length prologues and epilogues to each campaign, and some character growth depending on the choices you make. I found the campaign to be enjoyable, but not particularly memorable. (I've only played the Elven Court to completion once and the same with The Commonwealth so there will be endings I haven't seen, and missions I haven't played.) It doesn't have the unit variation that Shadow Magic did, at least not in my view.The T1/T2 units all seemed quite similar. Though, the Draconians have some more outlandish units. Your Leader, and Heroes are upgradeable and have equipment slots. Unfortunately, I felt the equipment available was quite limited, and so too were the pool of upgrades. I only felt like I could really create a specific archetype for each type of hero. This may well be a consequence of your heroes seeming to level much faster than in earlier entries. I would recommend to a fan of the series, and to any Turn-based Strategy fans who aren't strapped for cash. I've no doubt that with the level editing tools and continued development that this game will provide entertainment for years to come.
