Burning Wheel is hard, no doubt about that. But I have had some good play with it. I've also had some crappy play with it, but I've had that with most games I've played.
While soul wrenching angst is one way to play the game (and is better supported than many games that people like to play characters torn by angst - and is how one blog I used to read really pushed the game), it's not the only way to play.
In fact, I suspect if players approached the game NOT as some edgy game, and instead just wrote BITs about going adventuring, and the GM presented things to challenge those beliefs, really not that differently than one stocks an OD&D dungeon, a fun game would ensue. The interesting part is that if a player did wind up in a position to make an angst ridden decision, the game would support that, and play might enter a whole new dimension.
I haven't really played Burning Wheel in years, but it has earned a place in my "If I could only take this briefcase with me for gaming stuff" bag.
Frank