Witcher 2 improved upon The Witcher, and Witcher 3 improved upon Witcher 2.
This is how sequels work. You add, improve quality, improve mechanics. You don't take away, you add. So yes, I agree (Despite some glaring issues and performance, more notably framerate drops, which HOPEFULLY will be fixed) The best Witcher in the series, and the best IMHO Open-World RPG to have come out in a very, very long time.
Unfortunately I'm waiting for performance increases before I play anymore further, as the drops are too painful. When they do fix it it will be a masterpiece.