There were certainly some strong companions in BG2, but I don't think that applies to all (or even most) of them.
I don't mind characters revealing themselves as time goes on. As it is, none of them look interesting to me. However, in recent demo they all seemed to have things to say, reacted to things in beliavable way, and responded to PC conversation choices in organic manner. I have hope
BG2 had a lot of companions. They couldn't all be winners. But if we only have 5? They should all be unquestionably amazing. Even if we get 2 or 3 more, they should all be winners. We should be struggling to decide who to bring because they are all great. Not struggling to decide because we're indifferent.
I agree with you that the conversations/responses were fine. Obviously that stuff isn't going to change. I'm talking about basic design decisions, which very much can still change. Opening dialogue, character introduction, and visual design. It's okay to reveal character story over time. It's not okay to reveal if the character is boring/interesting over time. That should be immediate.
