Dragon Age 2 - Previews @ 1UP, Joystiq

1UP's the latest to bring us news about Dragon Age 2. There's been much talk about the combat, and why it has been changed, so here's maybe why this has been done:

Most of the demo was spent explaining the evolution process of Dragon Age: Origins to that of Dragon Age 2, in that the team paid attention to reviews, and listened to focus groups to get feedback on what worked and what didn't. Apparently a lot of the complaints revolved around the combat, and BioWare took notes to evolve Dragon Age 2 into what it is currently shaping up to be... a much more combat driven action game.

The bit about the narrative structure:

The narrative shift to a single character has allowed the team to craft a long and single narrative around a defined person like Hawke (who can be female as well). This also allowed them to record voiceover for this character; resulting in an experience closer to that of the Mass Effect games.

Joystiq also has a preview:

As you know if you've been paying attention to the game, the sequel's story revolves around a character named Hawke, not the customized, silent Gray Warden protagonist of the first game. While you're still able to customize your appearance and your class, Dragon Age 2 consists of Hawke's story, not just one you're making up.

And here's the catch: Someone else is actually making it up. The main characters of Dragon Age 2 are actually Cassandra and Verik, two people ten years down the line from the first game, that have to save a world on the brink of war not by fighting their own battles, but by finding out just what Hawke's been up to since Dragon Age: Origins. In other words, the game is told in flashback, by a not-always reliable third party. Which means that if Hawke's story is flashier, grittier, or more fanciful than the first game, that's okay -- anything that might be a lie probably is. "We wanted to see what happened if a legend is exaggerated," said Laidlaw during the demonstration.