Great combat and story make this game a solid sequel to the legendary Dragon Age: Origins.
The new combat system is great. You won't have to fall asleep while fighting hordes of enemies because the moves are faster and flashier in this game. It's not exactly hack-and-slash, but it definitely draws inspiration from it. The camera is pretty annoying though. You can't switch to the overhead view like its predecessor. The dialogue system is an awesome addition. I really liked it. It's exactly like Mass Effect's. Bioware made navigation a lot easier in this game. You won't have to roam around for hours to finish a quest.
The story is really good, but not as epic as Dragon Age: Origins'. You are a guy who escapes from Lothering during the events of it's predecessor. You arrive in the city of Kirkwall as a lowly refugee. The story covers your arrival in Kirkwall to you becoming the champion of the city. The main focus of the story is the conflict between templars and mages. The new characters are very interesting, especially Merrill. Her cute and innocent comments always put a smile on my face. The dark humor brought a lot of chuckles.
The sound effects aren't so special. They're average, but the voice-acting was pretty good, considering it's Bioware (duh!).
The graphics are nice. The new art style irritated me at first, but I eventually warmed up to it. The character models look a-okay and the faces of the various characters look great.
Overall this game is a solid addition to the Dragon Age franchise. It expands the Dragon Age universe and makes it more interesting. Bioware, get your butts working on Dragon Age 3!