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Combat is only faster if you play on casual or normal, but then it´s pure hack´n´slash without need to use any tactics whatsoever.
If you play on hard or nightmare, you need to play more carefully, but bar few interesting scenarios the game is chock-full of filler which just takes unnecessarily long to dispatch and gets repetitive/tedious fast.
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Companions are mostly dull and of sketchy characterizations and you can´t really choose the pacing of interacting with them yourself, every dialogue is strictly regulated via notification in quest log. Sometimes they visit each other and sometimes you can let them to participate in dialogues which is pretty cool, but it still doesn´t make them markedly more memorable. All 4 potential "love interests" are also for some reason bisexual.
Other in-game characters aren´t memorable either, mostly because writing in general is undercooked.
Player character isn´t well designed either because the game does a pretty bad job helping player to identify with him, which is mostly caused by non-existent plot line.
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And of course then there are copy pasted areas all over the place.
It´s even worse than in Mass Effect because in DA2 copy pasting merrily occurs even in "main quest" related locations. There are few layouts used over and over and difference is only in closed doors or some hubris in the way.
And locations themselves are poorly designed, no matter whether it´s an exterior or an interior, it´s mostly just a linear corridor with no alternative routes.
Terrible.
There´s also no attention to detail and lighting is generally poor (no light/shadows ambience, everything´s just bright).
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The premise of adventure in one big city and its immediate surroundings throughout 10 year span is an intriguing concept, but DA2 simply doesn´t live up to it and instead of tightly focused C&C driven experience delivers not much more than an endless stream of uninspired side quests, filler combat, copy pasted locations and half-assed characters.
It has some good points, but ultimately just doesn´t deliver, neither as DA:O sequel, nor as a standalone experience.
Oh, and btw the promised 10 year span is somewhat misleading, because afaik the game ends after year 7 (not that it matters much, the game consists of prologue and 3 acts anyway) and the year 10 is just in the framed narrative.
