I don't think this game deserves all the negative reviews its been getting.
Yes, the graphics and sound quality are lower. While I am upset that the iconic cracks of explosions from CoH1 and CoH2 are gone, I don't think its an issue that would make me say "Don't play this game". The graphics I don't mind so much. In CoH1 and CoH2, the gritty detail would sometimes make it difficult to distinguish your units from the map textures. That is not the case here - your units all stick out from the map very clearly. They were obviously going for a more arcade-style look, and I don't mind it.
The controls are significantly better than CoH1 or CoH2. Commanding my units feels snappy, and I never notice my infantry standing in no cover or the wrong side of cover like would sometimes happen in the earlier titles.
The balance between factions feels pretty good as well, in my opinion. There are enough mirrored units e.g. mainline infantry and elite infantry, armored cars, etc, while also each faction has enough unique units to make them stand out and give them various unique options for offensive or defensive capabilities.
The AI is okay. It's never been amazing in any of the CoH games, but in this one I see them sometimes make pretty good plays, and other times just do really stupid stuff. So, I'd say it's about the same here.
Overall, I think this is an improvement to the franchise. 4 factions at launch, plus a campaign and an operation. The campaign itself is middling, in my opinion, and seems to hold your hand (at least as far as I have played), but it seems like it could be a solid baseline for an interesting new game mode a la Total War.
Overall, I'd give this game an 8/10. I think with some time and improvements, it could be a 10/10 RTS game.

I don't think this game deserves all the negative reviews its been getting. Yes, the graphics and sound quality are lower. While I am upset that the iconic cracks of explosions from CoH1 and CoH2 are gone, I don't think its an issue that would make me say "Don't play this game". The graphics I don't mind so much. In CoH1 and CoH2, the gritty detail would sometimes make it difficult to distinguish your units from the map textures. That is not the case here - your units all stick out from the map very clearly. They were obviously going for a more arcade-style look, and I don't mind it. The controls are significantly better than CoH1 or CoH2. Commanding my units feels snappy, and I never notice my infantry standing in no cover or the wrong side of cover like would sometimes happen in the earlier titles. The balance between factions feels pretty good as well, in my opinion. There are enough mirrored units e.g. mainline infantry and elite infantry, armored cars, etc, while also each faction has enough unique units to make them stand out and give them various unique options for offensive or defensive capabilities. The AI is okay. It's never been amazing in any of the CoH games, but in this one I see them sometimes make pretty good plays, and other times just do really stupid stuff. So, I'd say it's about the same here. Overall, I think this is an improvement to the franchise. 4 factions at launch, plus a campaign and an operation. The campaign itself is middling, in my opinion, and seems to hold your hand (at least as far as I have played), but it seems like it could be a solid baseline for an interesting new game mode a la Total War. Overall, I'd give this game an 8/10. I think with some time and improvements, it could be a 10/10 RTS game.