I'm pretty sure that in most cases things like these are subjective, I personally really enjoyed the story and it got me quite involved; it was certainly one of the better story lines I've seen and a very exciting experience.
I thought the story was fine and not predictable at all. I enjoyed it and got lost in the story and gameplay which is all I ever ask from a good game. Was it the best game ever? No, but I enjoy it none the less.
I don't know what games you've been playing if you think Dragon Age's story was sub-par but I'd sure like to know, because they must be AMAZING.To me Dragon Age: Origins is one of the top RPG's of all time, I've replayed it lots of times and I still haven't gotten sick of it.
What I did not like was how you could only have 3 others in your team when doing quests or fighting. I also found the fade level and orzammar thaig quite hard to do. Glitches can occur in the game and can be a problem if you get far in game and game starts to not work properly.
If you're playing on the PC there are mods that solve two of your problems, you can have one that changes your party limit to 6 or even one that makes the Dog a free companion, not taking up a slot. You also have a mod that let's you skip the Fade completely.