[General Discussion] Hardest game(s) you've ever played

Based on the default difficulty levels, here are my current picks:

PS2 - Devil May Cry 3
Yes, just like everyone else can attest to, this game on first playthrough is crazy hard; the enemies combo you like mad and what's worse is that you gotta restart missions from the very beginning..

DS - Trauma Center
It's not so bad now, but back last year this one gave me a heck of a shock once you reach the Sin missions. It did make me much more proficient in wielding the stylus though as nothing else comes close to the difficulty shown here, including Ouendan's hard/insane mode imo.

GBA - Ghouls 'n Ghosts
Never played the originals, but this was the most frustrating experience I've ever had in a game I think. The lack of air control, the relentlessly stalking enemies, the damage system - it was all too much. The bosses were cake compared to the main levels, and I felt compelled to finish this truly old-school drama.

NES - Metroid
First time through w/o any help? Damn impossible. And the game sucks too; good ideas properly realised in the later 2d and 3d successes. Actually most NES games were bloody hard or an exercise in patience/repetition: hardest Castlevanias, Zeldas, Rockmans etc. etc.

Jam it back in, in the dark.