The controls are awkward at first, but the game is programmed so you have an unexperienced fighting style at the beginning as well. As you get skill and also get physically better at the controls it gets better together and I thought that was pretty cool.
As previously mentioned Gothic has had NPCs doing "jobs" for a long time now and it does add a lot to the immersion in the towns. Thank god they don't run up to each other and repeat the same mudcrab story 900 times. If NPCs in Oblivion actually did JOBS around town instead of yapping all day it might be cool instead of annoying...
They should have released it in the US at the same time cause now everyone who is looking forward to it and would have bought it are going to have to download it. If it's good enough they will still get some sales here, I guess.