Jerykk wrote on Mar 13, 2011, 19:45:

It's pure idiocy to think that players aren't going to look at a sequel in comparison to the original.

This.

Even if you pretend that DAO doesn't exist, DA2 still suffers from lazy design. Recycled dungeons, lack of environmental variety, enemies spawning out of thin air right in the middle of combat, terribly unbalanced enemy assassins/rogues, minimal dialogue with NPCs, lack of interesting moral choices, no armor customization for companions, etc.

Many view these changes as an attempt to make the game appeal to a broader audience. While that may be true for some, I think the primary cause is that DA2 was clearly rushed. For example, the lack of companion armor customization more likely stems from the need to create custom versions of each piece of armor to suit elf and dwarf physiques. Without companion armor customization, the artists only need to design armor for Hawke's physique. Of course, don't expect Bioware to admit that the game was rushed until they write a post-morterm in five to ten years.