Other PC Games - Rome Total War 2

I have read the devastating reports when RTW2 came out and was glad I didn't pre-order it, despite the free DLC offered when pre-ordering... (clever Marketing from CA there)!
Now, given that it is on sale at Gamersgate (50%, until 14th June) I wonder if anyone can tell anything good about RTW2. Has it really improved with patches and are good mods available?

I liked RTW because of the ancient era. The AI is very limited both strategical and tactical, but the scope of combining the two layers and building an empire is appealing. So the tactical battles were ok (but no match for SOW - style), and the strategic game was also ok as long as the enemy didn't visit me with full stacks every round.

I've played most of the TW series and no matter what mods I applied to what games, I never got any experience from any of them that felt like I was commanding an army in battle. They look pretty but the gameplay is always terrible and things have got worse since they began to focus more in individuals fights etc. Too much of a cinematic Hollywoody focus for my taste. To be honest I have given up with the series now. I would suggest saving your money until NSD makes Scourge of War - Gaugamela