The trouble is that it removes a great deal of potential dialogue from Dragon Age 2 while not really fixing problems from the first game, mainly that your characters speech often doesn't feel like the choice you picked.
Eh? In DAO, your character says exactly what you choose. I wish DA2 were the same.
higher difficulties add to tedium instead of challenge
I can't really agree there. Playing on Nightmare adds infinitely more challenge than the other modes, with meaningful additions like friendly-fire, longer potion cool-down times and interruptions for your mages and rogues. It really forces you to play tactically and to manage your abilities very carefully.
The only problem with combat is the combat encounters themselves. In DAO, you were challenged with tactically interesting scenarios. Ranged enemies would usually take the high ground while fighters would try to keep you from them. In DA2, enemies usually just stand around huddled together until they see you, at which point they all chase after you. Then when you're almost done killing the initial group, a batch of new enemies spawns out of thin air and screws you over.
This comment was edited on Mar 14, 2011, 12:25.