I've played it, and while it's not a bad game, it's nowhere near the awesomeness that was Age of Empires II. 3 can be fun, but it can't give me that epic, fulfilling,
awesome sensation I get from the first. Regardless, I played as the Russians in AOE3; they were pretty cool.
The Asian Dynasties expansion pack also kicks ass; it actually brought me back to the game and I managed to sustain it for a few months, partly because it had India in it (complete with heavy Indian accents and American-accented, odd-sounding Hindi

). Still, it was a masterful expansion pack!