I'll throw my hat in here to say that Beta 5, while obviously missing some art items and still a little buggy, is an extremely enjoyable experience.
[Kudos] The art is the best I've seen from a Stardock game and the quest backdrops that were added do a lot for the immersion. Well done!
[Kudos] The flow of the game is much improved and the pace feels nearly perfect.
[Kudos] Combat is the most fun it's ever been in an Elemental game a feels unique and exciting enough to seriously compete.
[Kudos] The skill trees are fun and exciting (save the Wizard!!) and I'm really impressed by the different feel of game play for each sovereign. I'd like to see this fleshed out even further with more unique items/spells/units/buildings though 
This is easily the best Elemental game and will certainly rank among the best fantasy 4X games ever. I'm glad to see it'll get the polish and extra polish that it deserves!