Pretty much the same feel as B&W 1. If you liked the first one, you will probably like this one. No revolution here.
The new version is mostly an upgraded version of the old one. Graphics are better, sound is better but it's mostly the same game.
One big difference is that you never fight another god. You're never faced with opposing miracles. The only ones are provided from special buildings that fire once in a while. Also the opponents never build new cities. The basic setup is you build and destroy (evil) / win over (good) already built cities.
I found that the AI was at times barely above a moth's behaviour. The CPU kept sending troops at my doorstep (within my sphere of influence) where I would quickly dispatch them with a single fireball. He didn't come back with ranged attacks, he just kept sending the same units over and over again. At one point, I managed to block the half the map with walls. It seems I messed up the unit's pathing because he simply stoppped attacking. Even the opposing creature stopped attacking. They all stayed within their base.
Last point is that there is only 7 islands (maps) in the single player campagn. I completed it within 30 hours of gameplay. I don't think I got enough for my money.
All in all, a big deception.