Really? Because most people I know think otherwise. While I guess I could understand making that claim for Yellow, because of how high level the Gym Leaders are in that game, that's pretty much it (and I guess your rival's Alakazam in the final battle). In the aforementioned one I abandoned, I didn't do so because it was too hard. Quite the opposite, in fact. I didn't have any deaths until after three badges, and as I said, that was with no bag items in battle. You might have seen bits and pieces of the Blue Nuzlocke that Marriland has been doing on stream (he's uploaded them to YouTube), but of what he's posted so far he's about to battle Giovanni and only has two deaths.