Lol comparing Arcania pitiful crap with DA2. This craziness (I'm tempted to take back hysteria) around DA2 is reaching some incredible extreme.
I agree in specific - I have loads of criticism for DA2, but it isn't on the same level of suck as Arcania. I would call DA2 'average'.
But I think he was addressing the shift in core concepts - making the defaults of the game feel more like a console action game to cater to a certain audience in hopes of expanding the audience. If that is what was done, that is.
Out of interest, do the people who really dislike it feel that it's more of an issue of the fights that they've set up with it or the underlying engine / gameplay itself?
I think it is somewhat both, but largely the fights. If you have a 4 on 4 that has an equal chance of your party all dying as a 4 on 40, it is an inherently different battle. Same if you have 4 on 15 followed by 15 more and then another 10. It means that almost no enemy can have any true individual significance, because in *every* case they have brought at least a dozen of their friends to the battle.
In terms of gameplay engine the inability to zoom far enough back has definite implication on gameplay. Having spent too many hours this past year playing Kings Bounty, Elven Legacy, Majesty 2, assorted Total War, and other turn-based games ... I really appreciate the ability that Origins gave us to set up a truly strategic approach. You can use strategy and tactics in DA2 - and as Dasale says you need to do so at times - but it just feels different.
Last two chapter I died two times, so according to the trash mob definition, there was necessary ton of trash mob.
I think you are not clear on 'trash mob fights' - I would suggest you check Jeff Vogel's blog on that one. Basically, when you think of basic shooter or RPG enemies - rats, low-level goblins, Stormtroopers, etc - you know that even at the lowest level you can easily take them out. They are there as filler content and to help you gain levels.
Generally speaking a game designer will balance the occasional need to simply throw easy enemies at you to allow for leveling and loot collection (also known as 'grinding') with more interesting and challenging enemies. These are often named enemies with significant strengths who either fight alone or have a small group of minions / summons. These fights are memorable to the point that the name of the character will stand out for you. Fighting Tavion half-way through Jedi Knight II is one, and it is a fight that would have been completely altered if her power was diminished by 50% and replaced by sending in groups of Stormtroopers wave after wave ...
I mean, remember the Lich battle in that hidden area in BG2? Fighting Abazigal in Throne of Bhaal? In DA2 every single battle I have encountered has degenerated into fighting at least 20 enemies, with at least 18 being useless annoyances. And that is what I mean by 'trash' - replacing a challenging and memorable enemy with an equally difficult battle that is based on sheer numbers of no-name enemies.