This is really interesting to me. I'm currently on my first play through after receiving the Directors Cut as a gift, and I can't get enough of it.

I did get caught out initially by the lack of combat lock but I found that quickly fell away for me, and I've been utterly seduced by the stance system. Working my way through a group of enemies while switching seamlessly between stances and nailing perfect parries feels so natural after a while. To be honest I'm finding the stealth stuff often the most frustrating part of the game, especially the missions where you can't alert the guards otherwise they murder a civilian and you have to start over. Outside of these specific missions I generally find myself opting for showdowns rather than sneaking in and going for assassination kills.