The finishers aren't really controllable, as far as I've seen. Every now and then in melee you'll see a decaptation or two, and if you freeze enemies you can smash 'em with certain attacks, but usually when you deal a killing blow your target's just gonna fall down. It doesn't feel like they've put a large focus on making the combat look cinematic. That said, I'm really enjoying DA so far, though admittedly I'm only about halfway through or so I think. The customization is deep enough to satisfy without having to invest hours in it (not that you can't if you want to.
), and the combat is fun and looks good if you have a well-balanced party to employ different types of attacks.
Mostly though, I like it because it hits on the best elements from both ARPGs and JRPGs. It's got the heavy dose of autonomy you see in western games; your choices have an impact on the story, and for a lot of it, you effectively choose what happens when. There are multiple ways around most obstacles, and you can play a virtuous hero who really wants to save the world or a less idealistic one who just wants the fame and money.
All this great freedom meets with the JRPG conventions that you don't normally see in American games, though. The focus on stopping to strategize instead of employing only immediate tactics and reflexes means every moderately difficult fight can become a thinking game. More importantly, DA doesn't suffer from main character syndrome: you get a handful of partymates who interact with your character and the situations they're put in, making the story more personal rather than the plot-driven blandness you get out of games where you just have the main character.
It's the balance of autonomy with a sizeable primary cast that makes it such a good game, for me, as the combination does wonders for the storytelling.
From the little I've seen, I'm starting to get the impression Mass Effect has a similar dynamic, which means it (and its upcoming sequel) are probably going to earn a place on my to-buy list in the near future. Might want to check it out if you like sci-fi as well as fantasy.