I'll admit I actually like Dragon Age 2 more then Dragon Age Origins and Inquisition. Mechanically it is easily the worst game of the series, and I'll never try to defend it on those grounds, but I just find the central concept much more interesting.
DA:O always disappointed me because the Darkspawn and the Archdemon were so generic. They had no personality, and the main plot kind of followed the usual Bioware formula. The political plot had a lot of promise and could have been a really interesting story, but the central antagonist isn't allowed to really explain their case or even be right in the main story, so an attempts at moral ambiguity or intrigue fall flat.
In contrast DA2 has more interesting antagonists. The story is rushed, but also feels a bit more reactive because of the smaller setting. I like the idea of seeing a character grow and have their status change over the course of many years. Also seeing party members have their own friendships with each other outside of the PC was fun. I liked that the PC in this game is really just stumbling into these bigger conflicts. It never feels like you are a chosen one or a fated hero, just a person trying to improve their life and protect those they care about. The fact that the game has a big theme of loss and failure on top of it gives the game a fun melancholy tone that I really enjoyed.
Again, I will never defend its gameplay, and the third act is massively rushed, but especially now after seeing Bioware's messy attempts at bigger worlds and stories, I really appreciate this games lower stakes and smaller scale.
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