Elmofongo: Well you annoy me when you bring up negative points about DA:O. But let me organize this:
1. if you want voices fine, but please can I have the option to change voices, Though your character does not speak in dialoge you can chooese what kind of voice you want him to sound, wether wise or cocky. Saints Row did this aswell. But again my problem with Voiced Proaginist is obviously that dialoge options will take a hit, in Planescape and DA:O you had tones of Dialoge to choose from. DA2, just 3 options :P
2.I apperantly the Ears were not enough for you when it comes to elves? And the lack of Facial hair?
3.Why do you like the wheels?
4. I am sorry but sadly thats how you should put up with when it comes to the approval system, SPOILERS, in DA:O I had the choice of corrupting the Ashes of Andraste with the blood of a Dragon, of course Leliana outright hates me for doing this since she's a devout believer in the Religion of Andraste and the Maker. The new system of approval removes the element of concequences in your actions. In real life there is so much a person can take before absolutly hating someones guts and outrights leaves. Basically if you like DA2's approval system than in someways you like Meg from Family Guy's decision to keep letting her family shit on her so that they don't destroy themselves.
5. This is my breaking point. THE COMBAT IN DRAGON AGE: ORIGINS IS NOT SLOW, YOU ARE IMPATIENT!!!
And how in the hell is it clunky, do you not follow the same tactics as any of the D&D RPGs. Have a Tank attract enemies attenion by increasing you aggro while you DPSers (Damage Per Seconds) wipes them out and have a Healer stand by to aid. You can also mix and match. I have no idea why people just prefers Real time Actton in their RPGs that don't you want to try other things? As to Dragon Age 2's combat read the first part of my last post, but to summarize as in action RPG Dragon Age 2 fails in its combat system because it has this weird mixture of being action while somehow keeping some elements of Origins and failing at both. You want a real action RPG try Dragon's Dogma.
6. At first I hated the Fade, but I got used to it. I did had fun with playing around with Golem and Burining man forms. And at least the end of the Deep-Roads payed-off with the Broodmother bossfight and the whole thing with Caradain and the Anvil of the Void.
Annoying you wasn't my intention. I was attempting to point out that just because somebody didn't like the game, somebody else may have liked it.
Also I apologize if it looked like I was bashing DAO, because I wasn't doing that. I do also love Dragon Age Origins, I just love it for different reasons then DA2. Example: I loved the Dalish and Redcliffe quests and I prefer having more race options than just human, the different prologues were wonderful. I am also more fond of the DA:O story then DA2.
Just because I liked some features of DA2 more then their DA:O counterparts, does not automatically made me hate DA:O.
I also thank god for DA2 mods. :D Without some of them, playing through would have been less enjoyable.
1. I have to disagree with the statement that DA2 had only 3 conversation options. That was the just right side of the wheel, counting the left side too, there was always at least 4 option, but from what I remember most often one had 5 option.
Personally (that word is important), I found most options in DA:O redundant, but like I said that is my persnal opinion.
2. No, that wasn't exotic enough for me. :) Sorry.
3. Because it wasn't rare that in Origins I clicked a dialogue option thinking it will mean something, but it meant something else. For example I interpreted that sentence as a joke, but the game treated it as serious. Having signs that further explained what which option meant was very helpful. Also I simply visually prefer the wheel over a list.
4. I strongly disagree with the comparison in the last sentence.
Some companions can actually leave, but regardless of that you have to take into account that most of them don't have anywhere to go. Fenris has no one, Merill has no one, Carver and Bethany are stuck with you, Aveline if you aren't friendly is more there to keep an eye on you then anything else and so on.
5. I never claimed I wasn't impatient. :D That is indeed very true for any kind of combat for me. I have actually followed those rules but what I have to point out is that I don't like controlling companions directly and that was what I had to do. No matter how I set their tactics I could never get them to do what I want. That was what I meant. It is entirely possible I just suck at DA:O/tactical combat. :)
Not that DA2 combat was perfect or something like that. Far from it, but I still maintain that I prefer DA2 combat. That is a
personal preference.
6. I just can't, having to replay Deep roads makes me want to play another game or cry from frustration, but that is why I always do it first or second and Dalish after so I am always motivated to get to the Dalish. For the Fade yes, I got used to it after the 7-8 playthough, not that boring as Deep roads.
EDIT: About the voices.... I found the voice option in DA:O utterly and completely meaningless. I prefer the character without battlecries if that is the only dialogue we will have, their random comments got annoying after the 3 playthrough.