Once I got into the Witcher(after I got into town) the game actually became quite enjoyable. As soon as all the false promises of a dark, sinister game with a, get this, moral system that effected the game world, wear thin, it becomes easier to get into. It actually follows a lot of standard RPG traits. I'm also rather certain the combat system turned many a gamer away.
And yeah, The Witcher 2 looks epic. They just need to refine the combat system and ditch the whole "I'm a dark emo fantasy game that's not really that dark and gritty with complex moral choices that will drastically effect everything but in reality only lead to obvious two-pronged forks in the metaphorical road."