Having just beaten Dragon Age II last night, I've a few things to say.
1: The last boss is *amazing*.
2: Over all, I'd say the game is a step forward and a step backward at the same time. Combat flows better, and is faster paced, making the game much more fun to play. However the companions this time around (with the exception of Varric and Aveline, haven't been around Carver much) fall kind of flat with me.
They're all basically angsty damaged people and, though they have their interesting side-quests, they never quite manage to achieve the same level of attachment that say, Alistair or Zevran do. Maybe I'm just not sympathetic to a party full of slightly broken people, but. . .I dunno, I can't really say I like any of them. Except Varric and Aveline. They rock.
Conversations flow better, and, thank god, Hawke doesn't stand around awkwardly staring at people while they dump exposition on him, (s)he's voiced quite well, so no complaints there. The 'Nice Guy, Smart-Ass Guy, Jerk-Ass Guy' system of three options is. . .well, it's a good and a bad thing - if you choose mostly one of three responses, it'll color Hawke's other dialogue.
For example, if you go with Jerk-Ass Hawke, and switch to another party member and try talking to him, he'll say 'You better have a good reason for bothering me! >:[" because he is a jerk-ass. While Smart-Ass Hawke will say something different, and I'm sure Paladin-Hawke would have yet another choice. It's a nice touch, and it makes Hawke feel more like an actual character, rather than a shallow self-insertion device for the player.
Speaking of talking, the game doesn't let you chat up your companions whenever you feel like it, which I think is a bit of a waste. Oh well.
8/10