Fair enough. I wonder if this is a generational thing. I'm so used to playing games that punish you for even the most tiny of errors.

Here's a list:

Contra for the NES (I remember playing this as a child with a friend. We never really made it past the first level more often than not)
Mario (same concept: memorize or die)
Same with some Mega Man games
Demon Souls
Ninja Gaiden on the PS2
Battletoads
Cave Story's hell level

Feck: have you guys played Tetris?!

Maybe, since I've already dealt with the frustration in those games, that Titan's harsh penalties just seem kind of bland. I grew up playing games with harsher penalties.

I think Cave Story's hell level is a very accurate analogy to Titan Ex.

Was it cheap difficulty? Isn't that subjective? Didn't you stay away from games like this if you didn't like this type of punishing difficulty? If so, why aren't you staying away from Titan?