I agree with some of your points, however, I found the story to actually be quite good. It was a different direction to the epic but generic storyline of Origins (and a lot of RPGs for that matter; how many times do we have to save the world?). It was a more personal story surrounding the rise of Hawke but feels very much like a prelude to bigger events in the next game(s). I think the story complaints are mainly because it doesn't feel as "epic" as other Bioware games and Act I spent too long setting up for Acts II & III, but I'm personally happy they tried something different and less generic.
Also, whilst the combat was improved in some areas, they also completely ruined it by having waves of spawning enemies. Nearly every fight felt like waves of enemies meaning I couldn't plan strategically and also destroyed immersion when I see a random warrior spawn in front of me. At the end of the day it felt lazy and more like it was designed for a pure action game like God of War. I also didn't appreciate the removal of the top-down view. Rather than remove the tactical top-down view they should incorporate it as an option on consoles for better spell placement, especially when the game is paused.
The companions are annoying, even if they're well written. They should have been fleshed out more, but like you said, not being able to talk to them whenever you want is ridiculous. However, I actually liked that trying to please every character was difficult, it gave them more personality if you know they hold strong opinions.
TBH the game felt rushed. There's a great game in their, but there is less dialogue, copy & paste dungeons/maps, less quests, less artwork, less conversations/dialogue, and sloppy combat design (endless spawning waves of enemies). And I agree that this game should have been marketed as a spinoff rather than a direct sequel because quite simply, it isn't.
