I have nothing against AOE1/2 but I find the civ bonuses quite boring. Largely they're just % changes to gather rates or stats. But in AOE3, civs like British and Ports have a more tangible bonus if you know what I mean?
Vote for your favorite civilization by thumbing up the relevant comments in my YouTube video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeD2qS1sgxg