I keep forgetting that I finished this game, because the ending was so inconclusive. Maybe Bioware disagreed with the decisions I made, so I got a bad ending.

What a disappointment! I liked the first game a lot, but this crap I switched off and shelved forever pretty quickly.

Sequels always come with massive expectations, and this can sometimes break the true nature of a game: the story tells the tale of an immigrant, it's definitely more about it's characters, how they change throughout the narrative and just a big build up to Dragon Age 3; combat saw a massive improvement over Origins has well has the UI. On the downside there are many re-used places and textures, this is just lazy design and it's made even worse by the fact that Kirkwall in general is very bland and not has fun to explore like Ferelden. I can see the creators tried to make a better game, shame they field to remember what made Origins good... not to mention it's development time was way too short; but never the less, I enjoyed DA2

To say that Bioware dropped the ball with Dragon Age 2 is wrong. No, they completely fuck you over. Lukewarm story and instead of exciting and exotic companions, you are left with mostly bland humans with absolutely no depth. Exploring and interacting the endless sea of brown corridors that is Kirkwall is as exciting as counting blades of grass. You do not know whether to laugh or cry at the fact that the game's visuals and style are uglier and murkier than its predecessor yet requires better hardware. What truly makes you want to pull out your hair and eat it is that Bioware is so afraid that you will grow bored with their game that they keep stalling you every five minutes with wave-based encounters for the entire duration of the game.

I've played through this game twice, and I must say I loved it. It's not quite as good as Dragon Age: Origins. It has far better combat and leveling IMO, as everything is faster and more engaging. Your companions' story-lines are woven into the main story-line in a very interesting way, and the whole companion aspect is improved from DA: O's. I like how the issues of this game are very ambiguous, it's not so clear-cut on whose side to choose. I also liked that you can be sarcastic in every conversation if you want. As for what I did not like, the first 20 hours of the story (out of ~40-45) is very aimless, there are laughably recycled environments, and some unexplained major parts of the plot, which is why it does not quite match DA Origins.

There's actually a fair bit to like about Dragon Age 2 but compare it to Origins and Bioware's other RPGs and it falls short.
The combat is basically the same as Origins but faster and nicer to watch. I really liked the backstory and lore. The choices you make aren't all black and white and there are some good characters woven into the fantasy. The art and music deserve a mention as well. The main flaws ate that the game feels rushed and unambitious. Levels are recycled so you can end up fighting through the same cave or sewer four or five times.
The story makes it feel like a spin off rather than a sequel to a fantasy epic like Origins. It's a bit aimless, takes twists that don't make a lot of sense and the ending just sets up the next sequel. Importing saves and making choices never made a lot of difference which was a real shame. It's not a bad game, just don't go into it expecting a lot.