First, I appreciate the time you put into your response, but I feel like we simply have different opinions. I understand the advantages of having an established character in The Witcher, but I want to play the universe with my own character, and I want more variety in character progression options than are currently available. Ultimately, this isn't what you want from the game, and that's okay.

Likewise, the romance options in a Bioware title really highlight the disconnect between the main character and the actual game world. The Normandy becomes something of a sexual buffet where you simply pick and choose who you want to sleep with despite your choice in gender (especially in 3).

Options are not a disconnect. In fact, think about all the girls and gay men who play The Witcher. They are forced to play a hyper-sexual (even if you choose not to have sex, he has it sometimes and innuendo and flirting are frequent parts of his dialogue with pretty characters).

Plus, Mass Effect allows you to flirt with as many characters as you like, but my understanding is that you can only sleep with one of them. I did a pure male-Shep and Liara game. And that is a reasonable option. There are guys who flirt with anything that moves and guys who, like me, chose to only flirt with the one character.

Also, I don't find that this causes the world to be "vague" in order to allow variety in sexuality at all. Have you never been hit on by someone who you aren't sexually interested in (whether that be because of gender, personality, or whatever)? Being hit on by people you aren't interested in is a part of life, and you just say that you are flattered but no interested - then they never bring it up again. . . just like the characters in Mass Effect. Plus, I don't think any of them even flirt with you unless you choose to obviously flirt with them. . . well, some of the female NPCs do, but I don't think the guys do (at least not that I remember).

In this world, A Witcher is created via a specific process and when they are released to do their job, they are going to call on a specific set of skills to do so.

Sure. If Witchers must have alchemy skills, then I want the option to play as another class that uses something other than potions and ingredient gathering for support. Or they can come up with new lore. Maybe the witches join up with the Witchers for training or you can play an elven Witcher who also has skills with a bow but doesn't pay attention in alchemy class.