Classic case of the sequel falling far short of its predecessor. Bioware misjudged why the first game was so popular.
DA2 has none of that. I confess that I'm only midway through Act Two, so perhaps the game has a great finale, but unlike the original, it's not a difficult game to set aside. Progression feels more like a chore to me than an adventure. Consider: by this point in the original, I'd grown up in a castle under the shadow of my older brother only to see him and the rest of my family murdered and the entire foundation of my life destroyed. Out of desperation, I joined the Grey Wardens and came under the guiding arm of Duncan, a man I couldn't help but hold in awe. I got to know Alistair, a gentle, self-doubting former templar with a wry sense of humor. Together, we braved the wilds to advance the causes of the Wardens before enduring the joining ritual that killed all the other initiates. I met Morrigan and her mysterious mother, who later saved me after the Wardens themselves were betrayed and killed and the fate of the free world was left in my own hands. It was a fearsome and frightening responsibility. Remember that?
Fast forward to DA2. During roughly the same period of gameplay, I've been hanging around Kirkwall performing chores for money for months. Midway through the game, I've not met anyone as interesting as Duncan, Alistair, Morrigan, Flemmeth, or Lelianna. Heck, even Sten had a great deal more to his story than initially appeared and was amusing in his terseness. Nothing I've done so far in DA2 approaches the excitement of Arl Howe's betrayal of my family, my foray into the Kocari Wilds, fighting my way through the Tower of Ishal to light the signal fire, the betrayal and deaths of the Wardens, or the refugee crisis in Lothering. I'm surrounded by companions who are nothing but unimaginative stereotypes. Aveline is a dutiful soldier, Carver is a jealous, whiny brother, and Isabella is a slut. What more do you need to know? Two minutes after you've met each of them, you can perfectly predict what they are going to do. I keep waiting for Carver to whine that he needs to go into Tosche Station for some power converters. Where's the originality?
The bottom line is that what this game lacks is subtlety and story. The original had me so swept up in the story that I agonized over whose side to take in the profiteering encounter in Lothering. I actually feared for the future of the refugees, frantic under the threat of the oncoming Blight. If such a scene happened in DA2, I'd just log into wiki and find out which choice would be the most profitable because it's not like they're real people. DA2 is hack, slash, level, upgrade your equipment, and count your gold. In other words, it's nothing more than a typical rpg. I'm done with DA2; I just can't play it anymore. I'm more inclined to go back and replay the original yet one more time. Poor effort, Bioware. Your writers were the greatest asset you had from the original, and you didn't appreciate them enough.