Not as bad as some are letting on but a bit disappointing
Let me preface this review by stating that I was supremely hyped for Total War: Rome II. Rome: Total War is pretty much one of my favourite games and so I had very high expectations for the sequel. Hype can be a cruel mistress, as it is very hard to match. I think it is important for you to know the high esteem in which I hold the Total War games as that has tempered this review.
Let's start with what's good: this game is still a lot of fun. I found that in the first week I had put a large number of hours into the game without even noticing it. That said, I have not yet finished a 'full' campaign or attempted the multiplayer, so that will not be mentioned. The concept of provinces is a really good one and I think there is a lot to be had with provincial management, building management and use of agents. Not all of this is made transparent by the game in its tutorial, but there is a lot of fun to be had.
On the otherside, Total War: Rome II has been dogged by early performance issues and lengthy load times between turns (though that should be no surprise to anyone who has played a Total War game in the past) and the battle AI is currently below where it was with Shogun 2. Although many of these issues will likely be resolved in future patches; they do currently exist. The game is not 'broken' as it has been touted, but it is not fulfilling its potential either.