I think people that claim DA2 is worst then DA:O combat wise just don't remember DA:O (like RedCliff) or only played the demo. So far encounters are similar between the two games and the wave are mostly used for "quest events" (aka respawn trash around a "boss"). I haven't had a quest with more then 4 fights and the smaller fight had 3-4 mobs, while the bigger ones had about 10 (including waves). The faster combat help a lot with the trash and the first act is more "walking around" and less "meeting mobs in every corner". It's possible it get worst later, I'm just 5 hours in. We will see.
Nonsense.
DA2 has proportionately a lot more combat than DA:O, wave mechanic is used almost all the time and very often you face a lot more than 10 enemies per encounter.
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.
The game was obviously paced for normal/casual where the proportion between combat and other activities is more reasonable, but on hard/nightmare overwhelming majority of game consists of (mostly repetitive) combat.
Camera or targeting weren´t optimized for higher difficulties either.
Playing everything on normal and switching to higher difficulties for boss fights might bring a bit more balanced experience.
Anyway, combat aside, there´s still solid story, quests and characters, right? WRONG!
The game is a failure in all three.
Main story is pretty much non-existent, it´s just a collection of barely connected slightly longer side quests. No story arc, no hooks, just directionless plod.
Quest design is simply uninspired and lazy, both side quests and "main quests" (which you have to finish all before going to the next act for no apparent reason) mostly consist of getting the quest + some dialogue, than clearing associated area from mobs, return to quest giver + some dialogue. There´s no intrigue on the way, no interesting choices and rarely a possibility of peaceful solution (sometimes it seems like there might be one, but in most cases dialogue choices don´t make a difference and bloodshed occurs anyway).
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.
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).
Kirkwall itself looks relatively solid, but considering it´s the only main location for the whole game, it´s still rather bare bones and lacks proper ambience and attention to detail as well and after a while its lifelesness becomes apparent.
And at night it´s just full of trash mobs or empty altogether.
And then there are things like uncustomizable companion armors (yeah it´s possible to buy upgrades but those are set), very sterile UI environment (inventory icons, journal, etc.), lack of new lore (a lot of codex entries are taken straight from DA:O), little leeway to develop pc´s attributes (armor parts requirements), no skills, no skill checks in dialogues…
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.
