Although the relations between character, companions , and NPC's is better than ever, the maps ruin the experience
Combat is pretty much what you remembered from Origins ( a bit more watered down), lot's of spells, skills and tactics for you to thinker with (and as always, some work, and some are broken).
The story is ok ( not remarkable) but what shines the most is the personal relations and interactions between main character, companions and NPC's. IN that particular point, Bioware did a remarkable job, even if at times some sec. quests stories don't connect as well as they should with the whole story. But the moral dilemmas, the personal feelings, and the balance between them, is a major asset of the game. Unfortunately, while these previous settings would make the perfect mix for a great Dragon Age game, you end up with a bland feeling on the whole thing. the fact that the maps are limited and reused quest after quest, and the absence of the need to search for new equipment and armors turns the whole experience into something really bland.
You do have armors, but only for your main character. and the Black emporium (present in almost every copy of the game) makes it even worse, since if gives you all the powerful armor you will need, turning the need to search the maps, useless.
So, all in all, IMO Dragon Age 2 was a lost opportunity, and a bad example of how devs can ruin franchises for the sake of sales.