Paul writes: “I had issues with the first Dragon Age. There is no doubt that it delivered a great story and all, but to me it seemed to be a bit bloated in the middle, with things starting to wander around a bit. However, with the sequel, Dragon Age II, Bioware seemingly decided to focus much more closely on the story, keeping the game set largely in and around Kirkwall, the capital city of Ferelden. And with that change of storytelling style to go along with the less open world setting, things were much improved.”
Source: N4G PC Looking Back to 2011 and the Gritty Cityscapes of Dragon Age II