I didn`t really need much time to establish that whole control scheme is a disaster. I don`t care much about the fact that I can get used to it - and I will because I know it`s a good game - it still sucks anyway.
To paraphrase you, you need a bit more time to establish the whole control scheme actually is not a disaster.
The problem with the scheme is that it´s unconventional, contains one unintuitive element and it´s badly communicated in-game. No doubt it caused some players to shelve the game.
But once you get used to it, it´s very flexible and allows for a good level of character control.
In Gothic 1, to get the most familiar setup, you have to turn mouse "on" (it may be so by default, I don´t remember) in game settings and choose "alternative setting" in keyboard settings. This results in a w-a-s-d + mouse scheme.
The unintuitive element here is, clicking only the LMB (which is your main action button) does nothing. For it to do something, you have to accompany it with one of the direction keys (wasd) to define the action. Out of combat (picking up things, talking etc), it´s usually the up key ("w"). In melee combat, LMB+s is parry, LMB+w/a/d does different swings, you can also line swings into combos if you time it right.
W,a,s,d alone serve for movement of course and you´re controlling the direction where the pc runs via mouse. If you don´t like to control the direction via mouse, you may change the function of "a" and "d" keys (serving for strafing by default) to "turn left/right". You can still use them for strafing too, just hold RMB as well.
Sheathe/unsheathe a weapon is space (or alternatively numbers if you have more types of weapons equipped), inventory is tab - familiar layout.
Moreover, RMB + "up" is for jumping and if you hold RMB under a ledge you can climb onto and then push "up", pc will climb onto it.
The reason I´m mentioning this is that
a) maybe some people don´t realize they don´t have to play the game using keyboard-only
b) and, perhaps more importantly, to point out that you can perform a number of different actions without having to move your hands at all - for the majority of playtime, one hand is steady on wasd, the other is steady on the mouse
Granted, some out-of-combat LMB + up combos are redundant (LMB should suffice), but given the layout from above, it´s really no big deal imo and it may even make interactions with the game world feel a bit more involved.
=========================================================
As for sword fighting in first two Gothics, the general reason why I consider it great is that it combines player´s skill with character´s skill really well.
From an action game standpoint, you have to observe your opponents´ moves and time your attacks/blocks/dodges right - random button mashing mostly just won´t work and even though there isn´t a vast array of different moves at your disposal, thanks to the majority of enemies having different combat patterns and games´ well thought-out encounter design, combat is varied enough and keeps you on your toes.
You
may resort to the aforementioned left-right tactics, but even then you have to be careful with timing, it´s easier to use against certain enemies than against the others and it rarely works against more enemies than one at a time, making it a rather tedious way to play through the game. As I see it, it´s a kinda backdoor for people who refuse to learn combat system proper
.
The video in Moriendor´s post is just an example of a player who recognized enemy´s weakness (inability to turn around fast) and took advantage of it - and while it may not seem so, it´s not exactly an easy thing to do.
From an RPG standpoint, as you invest in your char´s stats/skills, he becomes somewhat more responsive and "fluid" (when inexperienced in the beginning of G1, he holds one handed sword in both hands, for example), gets new combos, more chance to do criticals and naturally damage goes up. Weapons have different reach and speed, a few enemies are significantly more vulnerable to blunt weapons.
Together these create a simple, yet involving and varied system imo, which also allows you to make up for your char´s deficiencies with your skill and vice versa.
Oh, and I rather like how it looks - no over-the-top moves or such.
If you ask me, easily the weakest aspect of first two Gothics is the inventory interface.
