Ah, I beat S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl today on the hardest difficulty, and with a mod that made weapons more realistic. So I died easier, but it was easier to kill.
Yeah, do you know what it's like? I had to make my way through Pripyat, fighting fighter upon fighter of the Monolith. I had to go into the sarcophagus its self! Being chased by military helicopters and I had to run straight into the Monolith stronghold, the reactor that exploded (which is covered by the sarcophagus). A ginormous emission came, so I only had 6 minutes to get in, as anything not taking appropriate cover died! I had to fight at point-blank with the Monolith's best forces, known as Crystal, nonstop until making my way OUT of it, where even more of the them! There were snipers, assault troopers, one's with RPGs, and masters in powered and armored exoskeletons! I then had to, well, I'll go ahead and say that I ended up winning in the end, and I was ALONE! *pants insanely*
To top it off, Monolith fighters are blood-thirsty mind-controlled fanatics with no sense of self! I've heard stories of them dropping their weapons and charging to kill with their bare hands when they're out of ammo! I once told a medic I met some and he said: "Most people who meet Monolith fighters I see have a few extra holes in them and no pulse. But you seem to be intact! What's your story!" To make it even worse, they fight better than most opponents, have the best technology in the game, and are among the most numerous! Oh, and they were defending! Defending is much easier than attacking!