I've been quite liking the shield/weapon bash mechanic. It's not fast enough to follow up with an attack like with Warband kicking but I think it's a useful tool to break up the flow of a fight, particularly where someone is trying to spam you. I think if kicking was made more viable and allowed for a follow up attack as per Warband, then this would be a good balance between the two, as kicking is a lot higher risk.