The general consensus seems to be that minecraft was/is too easy. Then again, for a game focused on building things rather than combat, I never understood this complaint. Monsters are merely a nuisance and distraction from gathering and building, and the game falls vastly short in its combat in my opinion.
The game can be challenging in the beginning, moreso in the 1.9 snapshots compared to 1.8 (I'm looking at you, OP skeletons). However, the game quickly loses any sort of challenge once you start enchanting high-end armor, regardless of difficulty.