Games that make level grinding fun

[Bolt-206]

Whenever a game has levels involved, it's almost a guarantee that grinding's going be in there as well in some way.
But what games can make this part of the game interesting/fun?

The games that'd first come to mind is the Disgaea series; How do you want to grind? Constantly replay a story level? How about going into the Item or character worlds instead - get challenged by an endless supply of random dungeons to shake things up a bit, all the while levelling up your characters (and items if using the item world).

That being said, grinding is most of what you'll do in Disgaea...
But are there any other games out that can make this almost inevitable process 'fun'?

 

[endtherapture]

I found grinding in The Witcher fun.

I was going out and grinding and collecting stuff sure, but it was all in character since I was genetically engineered to KILL monsters so it felt fine.

 

[pyrosaw]

Borderlands I guess, finding new guns always made it interesting.

 

[NickCaligo42]

Just get a load of ZHP:

 

[uzo]

Old school Fallout (1 & 2).

The whacky easter eggs you get when just wandering around the Wasteland put most games to shame.

Who can forget King Arthur looking for the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch? Or the tipped over Nuka Cola truck (yay caps!)? Or the lone robot next to a dead body that buzzes around saying "Danger, Will Robinson!"? Too late robot.

 

[TheLoveableMuffin]

I'd like to say Dark Souls. Because grinding out a decent total for that key element you've been after is just as rewarding when you know you've been through hell and back. And then strong enough to do it all again, but with a shiny new blade of doom. Doesn't stop every enemy from being able to kick you in the nuts but we live and learn.

 

[krazykidd]

This is a game i have been talking about a lot on these forums but . I have to go with SMT nocturne , well any smt game really . Grind for levels , while leveling your demons to learn new skills and fuse with another demon to make a more powerful demon, never gets old , especially when you don't look at a guide so it's always a suprise what demon you can get by fusing two together . That and you can grind for levels , but still die . You aren't safe just because you got 5 levels more , the same enemies you were grinding on can still kill you if you make a crucial mistake ( if you are unlucky , especially on hard mode ). That game keeps you on your toes and always focused . I love it because i love the challenge. For me challenge= fun

 

[everythingbeeps]

Rogue Galaxy for sure. It has those collection things where you get bonuses for killing a certain number of every enemy in an area. Never even finished the game because I got so caught up grinding.

 

[Kyr Knightbane]

Star Ocean: Til the End of Time
I loved the grinding and how you could get bonuses for exploring all the map and the crafting system.

Baldurs Gate: Dark Alliance 1&2
Not sure If it counts as grinding fun, per se, but it seemed fun to run around killing things and getting better loot

 

[Genibus]

Well most grinding is never fun, having movies or music to aid you definitely makes it easier.

Though anyone who finds fun in grinding is a pyschopath.
(AMG I HIPPURCRIT)

I played Disgaea.
Fuck you Item Gods.

 

[Nalbis]

I enjoyed the level grinding in Rusty Hearts, mainly because of the arcade style combat and racking up combo's and high overall scores kept it entertaining. The better the score, the better the chance of some nice loot at the end of the dungeon. Worked for me!

Sometimes though I enjoy grinding depending on class. For example in WoW I loved grinding on my Mage and Rogue but couldn't stand it on my Paladin/Warrior

 

[Joccaren]

Anything that does not feel like grinding.

For example, if I only have to run everything once to get to the max level, but that will require me to do everything - I am fine. As soon as I start having to double up in missions, or seek out things to do for the express purpose of levelling - its bad.

 

[Kyr Knightbane]

Another good one was Dragon Quest VII: Journey of the Cursed King. I loved leveling the abilities and the gear you got. It was also fun to try pushing 100% tension on every fight, just to see how hard I was hitting.

 

[Ddgafd]

Rogue Galaxy for sure. It has those collection things where you get bonuses for killing a certain number of every enemy in an area. Never even finished the game because I got so caught up grinding.

I never really bothered with those, I mostly focused on the quarries. But yes, the grinding is fun and kind of easy, since you can go to Rosa on grind for potions and weapon EXP.

 

[Ddgafd]

shit double post

 

[Techno Squidgy]

I despise grinding. this is why I like the levelling system in Skyrim, I don't need to grind, I just go out and magic stuff for that warm tingly feeling I get upon seeing a snow wolf in flames or a dragon cowering under my force lightning. And then ding! You are level X please enjoy this feeling of satisfaction and worth!

 

[TheLastSamurai14]

Final Fantasy IX had a unique ability system. Whenever you wore certain accessories, your character had access to abilities that they could permanently obtain by maxing out its ability meter. These meters, coupled with the fact that you had access to really powerful stuff (Auto-Life, Auto-Reflect and Regen come to mind), meant that you could feel really powerful after AP grinding for only 15 or so minutes.

Final Fantasy V had a similar system, though it was more complex. You had your job classes, much like Final Fantasy III, and when you used one in battle, it gained however much AP those monsters were worth. After you hit a certain level, you gained an ability that could not only be used with that job class, but could be equipped to another job class. However, to prevent god-modding yourself, Square imposed a limit of two abilities on one job class at a given time, one being permanently occupied by a class's preset ability.

This really gave these games a unique flavor when it came to battles and leveling, as it shows the player that their actions are being tangibly rewarded. That's one of the things I love about these games, and it's why they're my absolute favorite FF games.

 

[spartan231490]

The only game that I ever found grinding to be fun, was pokemon. All others suck. Make me want to shove a shotgun into my gameing device and pull the trigger.

 

[Shoggoth2588]

Since I was likely born with a chocobo-shaped brain, I think I may be one of maybe 2 people on here who thought level-grinding in Final Fantasy VIII was freaking awesome. I found grinding tedious in FFVII since it took FOR FREAKING EVER to level up a Materia. As for VIII though, grinding AP is relatively easy from before boss 1 and every time you get a nice AP payout that's one step closer to turning Squall into a raging, Emo God (with his trusty companions Knuckles and, Lady Domin-X-Trix)

Pokemon, Dragon Quest VIII and, just about every other RPG I've played have been more or less the same expect for Saint's Row and, Mass Effect wherein you get stronger by shooting people in the face which is always fun.

Oh and also, this is my 5,600th post! Doesn't seem like it really...go me!