Yeah, I think Hammerfight is a pretty finicky game. It worked well for me (built in mouse-sensitivity buttons on my mouse helped a lot), but if it hadn't, I don't think it would have been very fun. If you get it working well, though, it's an absolute blast.
You should give Braid another go if you have the time, I played it on and off for months before finishing. In terms of games that make you actually think about what they're saying, I've yet to find a better one. "Art games" excluded because they usually aren't fun.
Yeah, I think Hammerfight is a pretty finicky game. It worked well for me (built in mouse-sensitivity buttons on my mouse helped a lot), but if it hadn't, I don't think it would have been very fun. If you get it working well, though, it's an absolute blast.