So basically you're a generic knight templar loitering around a field, when tally ho, an evil bandit gets in the way! All you have is a sword (and in metaverse, a mouse), but you're more than capable of defending yourself. You dash at the offender...
Enter the Wii Remote-imitating swing system. You're dashing at the starfish and when you finally get closer, the player presses and holds the left mouse button. Time slows, the player waits until you come closer, and swings his mouse to the right. BAM. Your sword comes down on his right shoulder like Thor's hammer on a kitten. The bandit is de-armed, you come closer to him. The player presses the left mouse button, but this time makes a slightly downwards-curved (like one of those brackets) swing to the left. The bandit's head goes flying and you get a kajillion EXP points.
Same could be done with a shield, you hold the right mouse button and move it slowly to modify the direction of the shielding hunk of metal, but try the sword tactic and you get a shove. Let's take you (the knight templar, remember?), give you a shield in addition, and pit you against the same bandit. The bandit charges at you with a dagger, and you have two options: absorb his blade's kinetic energy, or skin his blade hand with yours. In this case we choose to absorb.
As the bandit rushes closer, the player presses the right mouse button, and moves his mouse a bit to the side. As he does that, you brandish your shield and aim it at the blade. CLANG. The blade slams into the kite plate like a semi-stoppable force into a semi-movable object. The bandit then goes in for another swing. The player right-buttons again, but this time tries another tactic.
Did I tell you everything goes into bullet time when the player uses the mouse buttons? The player patiently waits until the bandit's blade comes closer, then quickly swings to the side. WHAM. You shield-bash at his blade, staggering the bandit. Then the player makes you do the exact same thing from the earlier scenario (disarm and behead if you don't remember).
I'm sure variations can be made for the bowmen (hold down left-click and scroll back to draw arrow, then release to send said arrow into a civvie's face) and magicians (draw runes in the air perhaps?), but the concept stays the same: make the weapon behave (semi-)realistically in the hands of knight templars (you).
/discuss