I remember getting it day1 for the PS4 and...between the performance issues, Geralt controlling like a truck (pre-patch), mediocre to bad combat and the super slow gameplay loop I sold it after 1 week thinking "is this really what the hype is all about ?"
...Fast forward to almost 2 years later where i got the GOTY edition (DLCs included) and started it again from the beginning :
Couldn't put it down and played it religiously for 3 months straight with the credits rolling after 250-somethin' hours (DLCs included) and It's now one of the most memorable games I've ever played and belongs in my top 20 of all time.
See, this game is the sum of its parts, it doesn't excel at any one of them but when everything comes together...man, what a ride.
Also, the fact that most problems were fixed by then (typical of CD projekt) also helped.
Yes, the combat is still...kind of bad and the movement still feels wonky but, this is first and foremost a story driven game where - for better or worse - the gameplay comes 2nd, instead, the game focuses around its t-h-i-c-k atmosphere, gorgeous art direction, music and character development - it's that kind of game.
Sometimes, you just have to be in a specific (or shall i say, the proper) mood as to "get" something and especially so with this type of huge, slow, story heavy games where you have to sit down and listen /read to thousands of lines and faff about in its open world.
As a side note, CD Projekt should REALLY stop releasing games in a bad state - it happened with Witcher 1 where they actually released a whole new version, it happened with Witcher 2 where it was unoptimized and would melt GFX cards back in the day, it happened with Witcher 3 and it also happened with Cyberpunk 2077 where...well, we all know what happened with that one

Basically, CD Projekt games should be played minimum 2 years after their release as to be properly enjoyed.