Man, I think some of the complaints I read about the combat betraying the difficulty you expect of a Witcher game must have come from reviewers who played the game on too easy a difficulty. Almost feels crazy to me, now playing the game, to hear that the combat was kneecapped somehow.
The combat definitely feels like the next level to Witcher 2's combat. The same mindset that helped me succeed in Witcher 2 still seems to hold true in Witcher 3. Keep moving, roll, keep Quen up, and impose your will while maintaining a distance if Quen's been compromised. It's kinda nuts to have heard people say that the combat got boring, and didn't feel active. If anything, I feel more active here than in Witcher 2 because it's harder to roll behind enemies and get backstabs, ontop of the enemies feeling faster and being more aggressive. It feels challenging, without feeling like I'm being cheated, and if I wind up dying it's my own damn fault. That's what I want, and expect, from Witcher combat.
So, I'm pretty damn satisfied with the combat so far.