History Main / CatharsisFactor

* ''VideoGame/KatamariDamacy''. There's just something calming about pushing around an unstoppable ball of death.
** When there's hundreds of objects that are the same size as each other but can't be picked up, damn if it's not satisfying once you finally get big enough to pick them all up at once.
* ''VideoGame/{{Tetris}}'', starting at the highest level you can. But VideoGame/TetrisEffect is one of the most Catharsis helpers in the franchise.

* ''[[http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/439144 The Torture Game 2]]''. Someone piss you off? Use the face creator feature and import their face onto the torture subject, then go to town on them with the various weapons and torture instruments.
* The point of [[http://www.freewebarcade.com/game/ant-city/ Ant City]].
* ''VideoGame/RobotDinosaursThatShootBeamsWhenTheyRoar''. Not that hard, and you get to be [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin a dinosaur that shoots beams when you roar]].
* ''VideoGame/PlantsVsZombies'': the Zen Garden, in which there are no zombies. The most unnerving moment in it is not having enough money for a record player. Also, the later stages of an easy-difficulty daytime survival game, as you watch zombies amble onto your spike rocks to fall from a hail of burning gatling pea ammunition.
* ''VideoGame/FlatOut 2'', Simcade, which provides a number of highly satisfying ways to run into other cars. Available modes are Race (heavily-themed courses with a large amount of scenery to demolish at very high speed), Event (smaller track, usually designed for extra speed or with a calculated chance for collisions), Demolition Derby ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin, or Stunt (use a jetcar to get up to speed and then launch the driver through the windshield for things like High Jump, Darts, etc). When in a suitable mood for completely wanton devastation, the WreakingHavok that this game provides is highly enjoyable.
* It's more-or-less safe to say that part of the draw of the ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWars'' games is giving you the ability to blow up [[SmugSnake certain villains]] that a lot of people don't really like. The visceral explosions when they go up certainly don't hurt, either. For instance, Killing [[Anime/CrossAnge Embryo]] 20 times in the final route split of ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsX'' is so satisfying. The effect is tripled if the villain in question is a KarmaHoudini. Most prominently of this is [[Anime/MartianSuccessorNadesico Admiral Haruki Kusakabe]], who got off scots free and able to ruin the lives of many beloved characters and never got true comeuppance since the franchise was cancelled mid-way due to [[FranchiseKiller the movie.]] In an SRW where he appears as a unit? Enjoy blowing this bastard up with no remorse, and there won't be an escape this time. If he attempts to escape that by being an NPC (Happens a lot in games that only had ''Prince of Darkness'', since Hokushin acts as his [[TheHeavy Heavy]], he will have to take a backseat and generally not being a unit you can shoot down), the story will make it that not only you wreck his plans, the good [=NPCs=] will hunt him down and put him back in jail where there is no way he can weasel his way out.

* In ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'', there's something oddly soothing about rushing into a horde of [[TechnicallyLivingZombie Infected]] and mashing sqaure to bash their heads in with whatever blunt object you can get your hands on. The game’s only boss fight comes at about the 3/4 mark and after a terrifying game of cat and mouse playing as Ellie with a cannibal pedophile rapist, it’s very satisfying to beat his face in with a machete after he tries to rape her.

* For A Ranking all the missions in ''VideoGame/ValkyriaChronicles'' Selvaria DLC, you unlock a bonus mission where you get to play as her in [[SuperMode Valkyria form]]. Blowing up [[GeneralRipper General]] [[{{Jerkass}} Damon's]] tank is also pretty satisfying.
* Frustrated by traffic? Spent hours in 2 MPH rush hour? Annoyed at people cutting you off and then driving slower than you were? Rejoice, for there is ''VideoGame/{{Burnout}}'', and there's Traffic Checking[[note]]ramming into same-way, non-competing cars from behind to send them flying, which can be weaponized against opponents[[/note]] and there is Crash Mode[[note]]deliberately smashing into heavily-congested intersections to trigger the biggest, explodiest crashes[[/note]] and there's Road Rage[[note]]a game mode where you can keep driving endlessly as long as you keep smashing opponents into the scenery[[/note]] and there are Aftertouch Takedowns[[note]]if an opponent takes ''you'' down, you can steer your wreck in midair to try to crash it into them as payback[[/note]]. Word of caution: you probably shouldn't go out and drive in real life for a while after a good session of ''Burnout''.
* The ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamSeries''. You're Franchise/{{Batman}}. Not just ''Film/TheDarkKnight'', not just [[WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries vengeance and the night,]] you're the [[MemeticMutation Goddamn Batman]] himself.
** Arkham City and Arkham Knight also give rather good moments of cathartic glory. After most boss battles you get your gloved hands of the night on most villains and are then entitled to deliver a satisfying beatdown on them, before delivering the knockout-blow.
** The Riddler sidequest appears in all four games and is often considered an annoying ThatOneSidequest. Fortunately, ''Arkham City'' makes up for it upon completion by letting you watch Batman punch Riddler in the face, and ''Arkham Knight'' goes one better and lets you personally punch him in the face ''repeatedly''.
** After all the trouble they put you through throughout the series, harassing defenseless thugs with the Batmobile in '' Arkham Knight'' by running them over or shooting them up with the Batmobile's cannon while they flee in terror can be pretty damn cathartic. And they constantly respawn, so you can do this as many times as you like.

** Arguably the single most satisfying moment in the game comes at the end of the mission ''Surface Tension'', when, thanks to the actions of both you and the current ''Enterprise'' captain, [[spoiler: the Federation and the Klingon Empire make peace at last, vowing to work together to bring down the [[BigBad Iconians]] once and for all.]]
* ''VideoGame/ChildOfEden'' has a unique take on the RailShooter genre. Rather than killing targets, you're [[NeverSayDie "purifying"]] them, with the effect being anywhere from turning them into pretty flashes of light or giving them new, eye-pleasing forms, often accompanied by sound effects [[VariableMix that blend into the music]]. The FinalBoss's "defeat" in particular [[spoiler:sees Lumi reawakening and singing the refrain of [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic "Heavenly Star"]].]]
* The arcade version of ''VideoGame/DuckHunt'', ''Vs. Duck Hunt'', lets you shoot the dog in a bonus round.
* One of the most popular uses for VideoGame/ThePowderToy? [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzoKcMD2x58 Finding new ways to destroy everything that can be destroyed]].
* There is a small niche of Japanese arcade games that exists solely for catharsis. One example is ''VideoGame/ChoChabudaiGaeshi'', which translates to ''Super [[FlippingTheTable Table Flip]]''. The player only gets to do one thing. After an extended setup scene loaded with various irritations, the prompt comes to lose it and flip a controller shaped like a small table as hard as possible. The score is based on how much the room is disrupted.
* In TheEighties, the iconic ''Franchise/{{Alien}}'' hit it big and struck fear to audiences with the seemingly invincible and unstoppable Aliens wreaking havoc to the innocents and the protagonists. In the same time, action movies of manly men shooting the shit out of bad guys with stars like Creator/ArnoldSchwarzenegger and Creator/SylvesterStallone with titles like ''Film/{{Commando}}'', ''Film/{{Predator}}'' or ''Film/FirstBlood'' also caught the awe of many. Creator/{{Konami}}'s solution for this? ''VideoGame/{{Contra}}'', a run-and-gun game featuring heroes based on Arnie and Sly, fighting bad guys that culminates in fighting off monsters based on those Aliens. Having those action heroes load bullets into those seemingly invincible aliens and have them blow up are pretty satisfying.
* ''VideoGame/Splatoon2'' had a very special Salmon Run shift from July 13th to July 15th, 2018. Remember how awesome it is to lay waste to the Salmonid hordes with any of the [[PurposelyOverpowered Grizzco weapons]]? How about a shift with ''[[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill nothing but Grizzco weapons]]'' in the weapon rotation?
* ''Franchise/AceAttorney'' is primarily about liars being exposed and made to pay for their arrogance. With a side helping of "justice always prevails eventually".

* ''VideoGame/{{Rampage}}'' is a game about giant monsters attacking cities. The catch? You don't play as the army or a civilian fleeing the scene - no, you play as the '''monster'''. Your goal? Complete destruction of any and everything in your path. Crushing tanks, gobbling humans, and reducing buildings has never felt so good. ''Total Destruction'' ups the ante by including an announcer and a [[TitleDrop RAMPAGE]] mechanic - Hearing the announcer roar "RRRRRRRRAMPAGE!" before being able to go ballistic on everything in sight is beautiful in its own way.
* Basically every villain in ''VideoGame/AsurasWrath'' is a smug, self-satisfied prick who believes Asura to be beneath them. Obviously, [[UnstoppableRage As]][[ShutUpHannibal ura]] proves them dead wrong every time.
* In ''VideoGame/Progressbar95'', Clippy, the infamous default Microsoft Office assistant with a penchant for UnwantedAssistance, shows up as a recurring enemy. You could just click his pop-up to make him go away, but why stop there? With the update that adds the Decompiler Gun, you can ''shoot'' him to riddle him with checkboxes and radio buttons (this game's visual metaphor for bullet holes) and watch smugly as he begs you to stop.

* The ''VideoGame/ValkyrieProfile'' series, with its ability to let you beat the enemies with a ridiculous amount of overkill. It is ''extremely'' satisfying to finish off a boss, or even a mook, with a [[{{Combo}} chain of]] four [[LimitBreak Soul Crushes]]. ''VideoGame/ValkyrieProfileCovenantOfThePlume'' actually encourages you to beat already-dead enemies relentlessly to get better items.
* There are few things quite as cruelly satisfying as playing a game with a NewGamePlus system and the [[EasyLevelsHardBosses sort of setup]] where almost ''every'' boss is ThatOneBoss. Just save before whatever boss made you bang your head against a wall the most the first time through and keep beating the crap out of them over and over in the [[CherryTapping most]] [[OneHitKill humiliating]] ways you can think of. Cue ''VideoGame/LastScenario''.

* ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}''. Level 100 + Low level forest area = Ahh...
** Alternatively, a level 100 mon against the Elite Four. Enjoy as one all powerful creature beats the crap out of the five toughest opponents in the game and feel all your anger melt away. Nothing will make you feel more badass than that.
*** It doesn't need to be the Elite Four. In one of the games where you can rematch Gym Leaders, take them on with a high-leveled Pokemon that's insanely weak against their type. There's nothing quite like [[CurbStompBattle curb stomping]] Gardenia with a Swampert or sweeping Pryce's team with a Dragonite. Bonus points if they gave you trouble before.
*** After all the trouble [[spoiler:Zinnia]] caused you [[spoiler:stealing Key Stones and interfering in scientific work for no immediately explained reason during the Delta Episode]], what's the first thing you get to do after [[spoiler:capturing Rayquaza]]? Oh, just fight [[spoiler:her all-Dragon team]]... with [[spoiler:a Mega-capable Rayquaza]] at point. You'd have to be a saint or a masochist to resist the temptation to unload with the most hideously overpowered Mega Pokemon available.
*** Ghetsis is a complete bastard of a man who is convinced that the only way to gain power is through lies and control. You get to beat him with ThePowerOfFriendship on your side [[VideoGame/PokemonBlackAndWhite not once]], [[VideoGame/PokemonBlack2AndWhite2 not twice]], but ''[[VideoGame/PokemonUltraSunAndUltraMoon three]]'' [[VideoGame/PokemonUltraSunAndUltraMoon times]]. Bonus? Each time you win, you send the man into a ''spectacular'' VillainousBreakdown.
*** The Dynamax Lair from Gen 8 makes putting together your "Stress Relief" team a snap. It's a place where you can catch some of the franchise's most powerful Pokemon, all in one convenient location. All of them are level 60 and above, [[spoiler: ''including Level 70 Legendaries'', and all of them fully obedient]]. It should not take you more than forty to fifty minutes (for those who aren't super greedy, anyway) to assemble a team filled with some of [[spoiler: the most overpowered Legendaries]] in the entire franchise. And not only is there no downside to this, but you can literally access this before you even reach the opening Gym Challenge ceremony. In short: [[spoiler:this DLC lets you catch an entire team of overpowered and fully obedient Legendaries before you even fight the first Gym Leader, and then proceed to steamroll the entire game from there]].
** In the case of the ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonExplorers'' series, getting to fight Chatot during the graduation exam if you are still pissed at him for the perfect apple incident. Even more so if you or your partner have a [[ElementalRockPaperScissors type advantage]] against him as Pikachu or Shinx.

* In ''VideoGame/DragonAgeOrigins'', you can [[ShieldBash hit people in the face with a shield]] and build a character around that; while you won't be nearly as powerful as a [[GameBreaker mage]], it'll all be worthwhile for the sheer cathartic factor.
** Most players prefer to stab, cut, maim, crush, burn, freeze, and shock their enemies, much more cathartic than just hitting them.
** At the Landsmeet, you've brought the nobility together to expose the crimes against your order and get the country re-focused on fighting the Blight. It's entirely possible to play your political cards right so that basically the entire country's on your side, at which point your political opponent challenges you to a duel. You can nominate a champion, or you can just throw down with him yourself and finally ''beat the utter crap out of the stupid bastard'' and execute him.
* ''VideoGame/DragonAgeInquisition'' makes you TheLeader of...um, The Inquisition a little way into the game. Why is that relevant? Part of your responsibilities include having the final word on the fates of some of the enemies captured. A templar traitor? That magister who caused hell to occur? Humiliating a duchess assassin? Dealing with her remains should she die? A mayor who drowned the people of his town? You carry out the executions yourself should you want to, or for the more...[[BedmateReveal exotic]] options some are incredibly funny, and indeed awesome.
-->You are the worst of us. Grand magister Erimond, you will die. By my hand.
* ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne'' and ''VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga'' use the Press Turn Icon System. Short version, the number of times the player gets to go per time the opponent does is entirely dependent on skill level: the player can go up to ten times (after a sidequest in Noctune) for every time the opponent tries to pull something and is denied by your party build. Obviously, a game with a mechanic designed to let smart players kick that much ass has to be NintendoHard to compensate, and they are. [[ExaggeratedTrope Oh, they are.]] Players who [[TooDumbToLive do something stupid]] will die: those who learn to work the system will [[CurbStompBattle curb stomp]] their enemies. The feeling of godlike power smiting one's enemies is even better after [[OptionalBoss fighting the]] [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne Demifiend]], and getting to experience what it was like to be one of the demons you utterly annihilated. The ''protagonist of Nocturne'', aka you, the player, is the hardest RPG {{Superboss}} ''of all time.'' It makes the player feel rather godlike.
* ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV''. Does the war between Law, Neutral, and Chaos present throughout several games in the series [[TooBleakStoppedCaring piss you off to the point where you just don't care anymore]]? [[spoiler:Introducing the Nihilism ending, where you get to [[ZeroEffortBoss beat up on a defenseless machine]] and destroy the [[ApocalypseHow/ClassX4 entire universe]]!]]
* The final boss fight of ''VideoGame/{{Xenogears}}'' is an exercise in pure catharsis just based on who the boss herself is. For roughly 90% of the game, [[HumanoidAbomination Miang Hawwa]] manipulates, murders, and eventually genocides her way through the plot, pushing several characters--heroic and villainous alike--into [[HeroicBSOD BSODs]], [[HeroKiller removes the second strongest character from the party]] via a GrandTheftMe, and serves as ThatOneBoss for many players. Near the end of the game, it's even revealed that since she was, for all intents and purposes, the "Eve" of the game's AdamAndEvePlot, and is [[BodySurf technically immortal]], ''every'' disastrous event to befall mankind can be traced back to her machinations in one way or another. So the game lets you beat the tar out of her with [[InfinityPlusOneSword Xenogears]] itself.
* Some examples in ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiDreamTeam'':
** Killing ridiculously underpowered enemies with the last special moves unlocked, like the Zee Egg and Star Rocket. The fact the former has Mario and Luigi float down from the sky in a badass pose as the enemy gets obliterated in a multicolored flash of light makes it even better.
** Using the the Gold/Miracle Badge to freeze time, unloading all hell on the enemies and watching the effects when time starts again. It's very satisfying to watch a monster get hit by every attack at once for something like 99,999 damage.
** The Bowser Jr. OptionalBoss allows you to hijack the Clown Car and chase him down the screen while throwing items at his head. After all the chase scenes done by bosses to you, now ''you'' get to be the one who chases.
** Smashing Earthwake in the head with a hammer in the third boss battle once it falls off the pier, since the entire battle until then has been desperately trying to avoid a barrage of attacks from the boss that gives quite a few people grief.
* ''VideoGame/FiveNightsAtFuckboys'' is, [[SurpriseDifficulty despite its raunchy and hilarious exterior, a brutal series]], and Cranky Kong [[GameOverMan will always be there to tell you to git gud]]. Come Act 3 of the third game, [[spoiler:and you can fight the ape himself after all this time (though he is quite the MarathonBoss). The best part? After winning, '''''Freddy''''' tells Cranky to git gud]]!

* While ''Creator/NipponIchiSoftware'' gives players the disgusting satisfaction of overkilling hordes of mooks with overgeared, overtrained level ''9999'' characters, there is at least one moment where a player can get their share of jollies at a much lower level than that. In ''VideoGame/Disgaea5'' at the end of Chapter 10, it is not uncommon for players to purge a map with basic abilities and most Overloads... solely so they can [[spoiler:buff Usalia up the ass before using Murmur of Rage and Berserk Stream to grate Majorita's face along the nearest wall, all because the latter was purely responsible for the sheer hell the former went through]].
* In ''VideoGame/Diablo3'', the witch Adria crossed the grand MoralEventHorizon by [[spoiler:betraying you and killing Leah, her daughter, making her into the host of Diablo]]. Then she proceeds to vanish, becoming a KarmaHoudini. Then in the expansion pack... turns out at the new act, she serves as a boss that your player must kill to proceed with the story. Nothing satisfies the player more than to finally sock that damn mother on the face, and as a bonus point, this becomes an in-universe version as well, the heroes are ''so'' looking forward to kill her [[spoiler:for Leah's sake]] that it doesn't matter if they could compromise their missions, they want to let some steams off by finally killing her and getting justice (after having to deal with unhelpful or nasty Angels). Not enough? Go to Adventure Mode, then kill her again, over and over. Seeing "Kill [[spoiler:Adria]]" as one of the randomly-chosen Act V bounties can bring a shit-eating grin to the face of a player who's had a rough day.
* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'' and ''VideoGame/XenobladeChroniclesX'' both populate their overworlds with enemies that may be a good five, six, or ''twenty'' times your level/size, barring you from certain areas or forcing you to tensely sneak around them. Coming back after you've properly leveled and/or are inside a HumongousMecha and taking them down is both immensely satisfying and a good indication of how much your party has grown. In the former game specifically, [[spoiler:being able to kill the final boss Zanza is immensely satisfying after everything he has done especially as he goes through a VillainousBreakdown since he can no longer see the future but Shulk is able to see his.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Undertale}}'' [[{{Deconstruction}} goes out of its way to]] ''defy'' this trope on the "No Mercy" path. Sure, you can go on a killing spree instead of playing the game as "the friendly RPG where nobody has to die"...but the game will then take steps to rob you of the catharsis you could get from killing important characters. [[spoiler:Try to kill Papyrus? Instead of a gung-ho soldier hellbent on having an epic fight with you, he'll just [[TurnTheOtherCheek tell you that you can do better, and spare you unconditionally]], and if you kill him anyway, he'll tell you that you still have the capacity to do good. Undyne? Say hello to ThatOneBoss. Sans? His fight is [[SNKBoss intentionally unfair]] and he tries to frustrate you so much to the point of a RageQuit. Destroy the entire world? [[PermanentlyMissableContent Whoops, any future Pacifist endings you do from here on out are tainted with a last-second nasty surprise!]]]]
** Alternatively, the Pacifist route is [[GoodFeelsGood one of the most heartwarming experiences]] in gaming ever and is cathartic in it's own way simply because [[spoiler:almost]] everyone gets a happy ending.

* The ''VideoGame/{{Deception}}'' franchise gives the player a multitude of ways to [[TheJoysOfTorturingMooks putting their enemies through the wringer]], even if you decide to play towards what could be considered a "good" ending. Sequels upped the ante by letting you combo your {{Death Trap}}s together, as well as throw mooks into the environmental hazards for additional damage. Once you've unlocked the best traps and NewGamePlus, you can subject enemies from across the entire story to some truly dastardly arrangements.
* Throughout most of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIVTheAfterYears'', the Mysterious Girl has caused the cast much grief and suffering while arrogantly looking down on them as "lesser organisms", not to mention her self-entitled condescending attitude, declring that humans "don't deserve the gifts they received". She also [[spoiler: enslaved all the Eidolons and intended to use them as expendable mooks against Cecil and the party]]. After cornering her shen she tries to [[spoiler: sic Bahamut on the party, Bahamut breaks free and mortally maims the Mysterious Girl. Seeing her go into a VillainousBreakdown after that while she futilely tries to cast reflect was well worth it as Bahamut fries her ass, killing her]].
* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'':
** There is one quest in which TheEmpire kidnaps the player character's "Boss" (so to speak) and the rest of the Scions, the organisation that the player character belongs to and has been doing missions for. The IntendedAudienceReaction was a PlayerPunch and a WhamEpisode - but considering the amounts of [[{{Padding}} running back and forth from the Waking Sands to other areas, and the constant warping to an area a few miles away and running there]] that the player had been subjected to, this instead made people feel relieved that they might ''never'' have to go to the bloody Waking Sands ''again''.
** The Titan Arc was seen as one of the low points of ''A Realm Reborn''. The player must enlist the aid of a group called the Company of Heroes to get help on how to deal with the rampaging primal Titan. Said arc involves running across to gather supplies for ''a celebration'' and when all's said and done, the player is just told "Do your best". Much ''much'' later in the ''Endwalker'' expansion's Role Quests, physical DPS players must enlist the Company of Heroes ''again'', and the players were given the option to call them out on their SkewedPriorities.
** Player dialogue options routinely have little to no effect on what actually happens. The [=NieR=] questlines in level 80 allow players to pick a humorous dialogue option allowing them to snark at the quest [=NPCs=] about how their options don't matter.
** In ''Endwalker'', the player finally gets to travel to the capital of [[TheEmpire the Garlean Empire]]... after it's been [[SceneryGorn thoroughly ravaged]] by an EnemyCivilWar. [[HowTheMightyHaveFallen The once proud and mighty juggernaut]] whose imperialistic ambitions remained a constant threat to the world, has been reduced to frozen-over ruins and handfuls of survivors huddling together in whatever shelter they can find. While the IntendedAudienceReaction was most likely SympathyForTheDevil and more {{Player Punch}}ing, it's somewhat difficult to muster much sympathy for their current plight after the story up until that point.

* ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII'' has Hojo, the MadScientist who used several of the protagonists as guinea pigs in his depraved experiments, imprisoning them for several years (and even ''decades'' in one case.) This led to [[TheHero Cloud]] having serious mental problems that nearly drove him insane, the BigBad obtaining his powers and the deaths of dozens of innocent people, all for his own sick ForScience curiosity. When you finally catch the bastard at the end of Disk 2, karma is long overdue and the beatdown you give him is ''immensely'' satisfying. That goes double if you bring Vincent and/or Nanaki to the fight, the other two characters besides Cloud who have the most reason to want revenge on Hojo.
** The [[VideoGame/FinalFantasyVIIRemake remake]] gives us quite the treat, as well. [[spoiler:After defeating the Arbiters of Fate and [[ScrewDestiny ensuring that the remake can go in its own direction]], '''''Sephiroth''''', the BigBad and FinalBoss of the original game, comes down and serves as the final battle of part 1. And since Aerith is in your party, you get to have her enact sweet revenge on Sephiroth for his infamous murder of her in the original timeline.]]

* Skipping the expansion pack by playing ''VideoGame/JurassicParkOperationGenesis'' and letting a [[UsefulNotes/TyrannosaurusRex T. rex]] run through your five-star park or deleting the fence of the Raptor Pen.
* ''VideoGame/DwarfFortress''. If you can stand losing, often, and learn to play the game well, rigging up horrible deaths for all involved can be quite calming. Had a bad day? It's remarkably easy to flood your entire fortress and sit there watching the buggers break down as they flee the ever-rising watery death.
** Alternatively, go to adventure mode, train up wrestling, find a humanoid enemy (giants are good), and systematically cripple every joint in their body before throttling them to death.
* ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon'' is surely near the top of the list of games inducing catharsis through sheer calming energy. Living on a beautiful farm waking up each day to tend crops and feed animals and then leisurely walk around the town talking to people you are befriending? Could anything be better to wipe away the stress of a busy day?
* In a similar vein, the ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'' games can be unbelievably cathartic if you've had a stressful day, especially as you usually have fewer obligations than tending a whole farm like in ''VideoGame/HarvestMoon''. Just take a stroll round the town to the tune of that ultra relaxed music, saying hi to your friends, maybe doing a little fishing or catching bugs.
* ''VideoGame/TomodachiLife'' runs in a similar vein to ''Animal Crossing''. Had a stressful day? Tend to your Miis--which you've probably based on you, your friends, celebrities, and/or fictional characters--and watch them participate in amusing activities.
* The ''VideoGame/{{Pilotwings}}'' series, espcially ''64'' and ''Report''. Pick a mission, take off, and...ignore the mission and just explore the island in your air transportation mode of choice.
* Several of the ''VideoGame/MechWarrior'' games feature great explosions and some kind of invulnerability (as well as no-heat and infinite-ammo) function. Turn it on and go to town with that ridiculous thing you made in the lab that's chock full of [[BeamSpam PPCs]] and [[MacrossMissileMassacre LRM launchers]]. Very literally, in some games which have missions featuring destroyable terrain.

* In early iterations of the FIFA soccer games (one example is the world cup '98 version) when the opposing goalkeeper was holding onto the ball you could scythe him down without the fear of receiving a card. Makes it a little better when he gets booted in the air after saving every shot.
* ''Dangerous Golf'' is explicitly designed to be this as the premise is to hit the ball as hard as you can and destroy everything in the room as much as possible.

* The "stomp" move in ''VideoGame/DeadSpace'' and its sequels, which allows you to reduce any corpse, human or necromorph, to red paste while your character ''roars'' (or curses) in fear and rage. Anyone who has played any of the games knows just how ''good'' it feels to stomp one of those pesky necromorphs into a pile of LudicrousGibs after one JumpScare too many.
* Stealth kills in ''VideoGame/TheEvilWithin''. You'll eventually reach a point where they're no longer as vital to surviving, but you'll still want to pull them off whenever you can because of how immensely satisfying it is to put one of your ghastly foes in a chokehold from behind and jam a bigass Ka-Bar knife into their skull. The sequel amplifies this by greatly expanding the variety of stealth kills you can pull off, all of which are incredibly brutal.
* ''VideoGame/{{Outlast}}'' gives us the gem of Trager's death, best summed up by the PlayerCharacter "How To Make Trager Juice. Step 1: Squeeze."

* ''Franchise/RatchetAndClank'' is known for its very high amount of bizarre and highly-effective weapons, allowing you to ruin enemy's days with utmost abandon. Unleashing any given game[='s=] [[InfinityPlusOneSword Infinity +1 Gun]] on hapless foes, whether it's ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankGoingCommando Going Commando]]''[='s=] [[{{BFG}} eight-barreled]], [[OneHitKill one-hit-killing]], [[MacrossMissileMassacre missile-blasting]] RYNO II, ''[[VideoGame/RatchetDeadlocked Deadlocked]]''[='s=] [[CameraScrew camera-shaking]], [[KillSat laser-raining]] Harbinger, or ''[[VideoGame/RatchetAndClankFutureACrackInTime A Crack in Time]]''[='s=] [[MoreDakka bullet-spewing]], [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic 1812 Overture]]-blaring RYNO V, is a good way to throw down. [[NewGamePlus Challenge Mode]] also allows you to upgrade your weapons further beyond the cap of a normal file, making it even easier to use your preferred ordinance to take out the competition.

*** Watching Caulder [[spoiler:kill the Mayor. Not that anyone's rooting for Caulder at this point, and he only gets worse from here, but that mayor has taken every single opportunity take advantage of Brenner's Wolves' HeroComplex, and then turn his back on them to serve his own benefits, not pay his share of the work, or just to kick them in the nards because he's just a gigantic piece of shit. Then Caulder plays to his selfish greed to trick him into taking poison under the guise of it being an antidote, in an act that can charitably be described as "Caulder's only decent action".]]
*** The ending has [[spoiler:Caulder's VillainousBreakdown. After watching him spend the ''entire game'' smugly preaching about the meaningless of human life, treating survivors as test subjects in his experiments, and enjoying every second of putting people into {{sadistic choice}}s purely to see what they'd do when faced with death, his DeathRattle where he completely breaks down and ''begins screaming about how he's different and unique, and literally begging for someone, anyone, to save his life'' is utterly ''wonderful''.]]

* In ''VideoGame/RedDeadRedemption'', BigBad Edgar Ross is a corrupt, [[DirtyCoward cowardly]], [[SmugSnake smug]], GloryHound [[DirtyCop proto-FBI agent]] who double-crosses John which ultimately leads to his death. Fortunately for the player, the game doesn't end with John's death. In the PlayableEpilogue, you get to hunt him down as John's son Jack and pump him full of lead. After all the crap he's pulled it's quite cathartic to get to do it.

* ''{{VideoGame/Terraria}}'' becomes quite relaxing once you get end-game equipment, being able to build with little/no worry since anything that disturbs you or your [=NPCs=] are generally reduced to dust with your weapons.

* ''VideoGame/{{Bully}}''. Added catharsis for young players due to the school setting, and added catharsis for the rest because every single NPC has a unique name, face and identity, so if a certain character gets the better of you, you can track ''him'' down specifically --not simply a random lookalike-- and beat the shit out him for it later. And for those who were bullied by preppies, you can now shoot one with a potato gun and run.
** The simplest and arguably most satisfying aspect of Bully is the ability to tackle boys and [[GroinAttack drive your knee into their junk]]. Their reactions are priceless.
* ''VideoGame/ShadowOfTheColossus'': No matter how many replays, every time you face one, a small part of your brain tells you to run and never look back. [[BiggerIsBetter And they get bigger. And bigger. And bigger]]. And defeating them just gets ''all the more satisfying''.
** On the opposite end of the spectrum, if crying is your preferred form of stress relief, just kill Phalanx and [[TearJerker listen to it scream as it dies.]]
* You tell me that using the Keys to the City pack in ''VideoGame/{{Crackdown}}'', spawning thirty oil barrels, spawning cars, and then driving cars into the mountain doesn't make the adrenaline rush, especially as you toss a single Limpet Charge into it and walk away with the camera facing you.
* ''VideoGame/AssassinsCreedII'', especially during the Carneval in Venice. Randomly shoot your gun off in the middle of a crowded square, poison a passing soldier and toss coins at his feet and watch as the poisoned guard starts swinging his sword around tossing guards and civilians alike into the canal, use people as fall cushions after a nice session of LeParkour and punch the crap out of those annoying bards. There's a lot to do in Renaissance Italy.
* ''VideoGame/RedFaction'', but especially Guerilla. The feeling of [[EverythingBreaks breaking everything]] with your giant [[DropTheHammer sledgehammer]] makes you feel incredibly relaxed.
* If you get frustrated while playing ''VideoGame/JustCause2'', no worries! Travel to the right military base and steal an armored car or a heavily-armed helicopter! Hook mooks to cars and drag them along! Flip cars over during high-speed chases! Hook mooks to a jumbo jet or a military fighter! And so on. Oh, and the Big Bad of the game is a cruel, brutal dictator who thinks he's untouchable and looks just [[UsefulNotes/NorthKorea a certain real-life one]] that pretty much ''everyone'' despises, so taking him down is rather satisfying.
* ''VideoGame/MountAndBlade'', from firing a hail of arrows with your troops while defending a castle to riding down infantry while heavily armored shrugging off blows, provides a lot of this.
** There is a particular amount of entertainment to be had in the sequel, ''Warband'', which allows you to still do things like chase after looters. The introduction of a weapon which can only be described as an extra-long baseball bat with nails in it lends newfound hilarity to the idea of chasing down peasants and clubbing them senseless with said weapon. Or [[CherryTapping you can get a literal plain old stick and whack them about the head with that too.]] If you're really bored and winning the game, there's always the good ol' method of finding a belligerent drunk, getting into a fight with him, and simply laughing off his puny sword with your Lordly Plate armor that needs a warhammer to damage, then you punch him over and over.
** The various game mods for either Original or Warband only enhance this. Ticked off by, for example, the latest developments in ''Series/GameOfThrones''? Simply load up the Westeros mod, cheat yourself some high-tier armour in, buff your character up to the nines, and take out your anger on the particular object of your grievance. Slamming a war lance through Roose Bolton's face at 60mph? [[spoiler: Never has vengeance felt so sweet.]] With the ''vast'' amount of mods out there, there'll be something for everyone.
* ''VideoGame/SaintsRow'' plain and simple, for added fun, create a character to use cheats, and abuse them. ''The Third'' is even better with this- wanna utterly annihilate your foes with an airstrike, or a tank, or a VTOL equipped with lasers and missiles? It's got you covered.
** The Third is even better if you have the Respect upgrades. Specifically, the ones that grant immunity to bullets, fire, explosions, ragdolling from said explosions, and fall damage. You're now immortal. Find the nearest survival mission and have a blast.
--->'''Male Voice 1:''' ''Man'', this is therapeutic!
* ''VideoGame/TheIncredibleHulkUltimateDestruction'' is sometimes called ''VideoGame/{{Prototype}}'''s predecessor. There's nothing quite as satisfying as cruising around the city on a skateboard you made out of a bus, or the fact you can use a lamppost to work on your golf swing, using people as the balls! Sadly, if you advance the story enough, the game starts to punish you with DemonicSpiders for your wanton destruction. Though grabbing a suit of PowerArmor and using it as a pogo stick via an infinite chain of {{Spinning Piledriver}}s is pretty darned entertaining, too.
* In ''VideoGame/LANoire'', you can wreck the painstakingly recreated 1940's L.A. while driving around in your equally beautiful recreated car.
* You might not expect ''VideoGame/{{Elite}}'' to be cathartic, but it can prove surprisingly so to those who just want to fly about in space, especially ''VideoGame/EliteDangerous,'' where the graphics are much prettier. Casual explorers can go from system to system and just find new things to record. Light traders could do simple ferrying jobs across the space lanes. Weekend warriors can always find some wussy NPC bandits to take out their frustrations on.
* The ''VideoGame/JustCause'' series is BUILT on this, especially the second and third games. Two of the biggest open-world maps in gaming, an unlimited number of civilians or, even better, {{Asshole Victim}}s, and [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential many, MANY ways to level the entire game world]]. Ever wanted to take out a military base by flying over it with a passenger jet carrying a hot pink ice cream truck by tow cable, dropping the truck into several large fuel tanks, skydive into the wreckage, hijack a tank, then doing donuts while shooting everywhere and dragging a corrupt military commander behind you with a grappling hook? YOU CAN.
* ''VideoGame/NeedForSpeedMostWanted'' has a large open-world city, a police force wanting to arrest you for street racing, and plenty of destructible environments to tear up from behind the wheel of a muscle car. It even keeps track of the monetary value of the damages you've caused!
* Okay, so ''VideoGame/SleepingDogs'' might not have as many guns as most crime sims, but it makes up for it with a really fun melee combat system, lots of squishy civilians (and slightly less squishy random thugs) and people who don't know when to keep their mouth shut. Someone will always take the piss out of your fashion sense when you walk out of a shop, and not a single shop ever has a guard or cop nearby. Have fun jump kicking the mouthy asshole until he needs to recover his teeth from a nearby window display.
** The game also seems to just how much you're gonna want to beat the shit out of [[AssholeVictim Dogeyes]] by the time you catch up to him. It doesn't hurt that the game ignores lethal damage when in 'boss fights,' so you can break his elbows, shatter his knees, and smash him against every vertical and horizontal surface until he should have a perfectly flat disk where his face used to be. [[PayEvilUntoEvil And he deserves every minute of it]].

->''"So that's ''VideoGame/{{Painkiller}}'' -- more proof that the best way to blow off steam is to blow off someone's nadgers."''
-->-- '''[[Creator/BenCroshaw Ben "Yahtzee" Croshaw]]''', ''WebAnimation/ZeroPunctuation''

%% One quote is sufficient. Please place additional entries on the quotes tab.

* ''Franchise/StreetFighter'': How many people have felt better after a bad day by putting in the latest game and demolishing whoever was in your way (computer AI, opponent through internet, etc)?
** Even better. When playing ''Street Fighter 4'' online, breaking the countless hadouken/shoryuken-spamming cheap-ass players' pattern, and absolutely demolishing them... while [[CherryTapping using]] [[LethalJokeCharacter Dan]].
** [[http://www.collectedcurios.com/sequentialart.php?s=84 Kat shows us how it's done.]]
** Or for a new player finally defeating a more skilled opponent, by spamming the one move you can do.
* Ah, ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'':
** What can be more cathartic than using Training Mode to turn whichever character has recently displeased you into your unmoving personal punching bag? How about spawning Smash Balls and mercilessly flattening them with [[LimitBreak Final Smash after Final Smash]]?
** Hit them out of the ballpark with the [[BatterUp Home Run Bat]], perhaps? The resulting ''KREEEENG!!!'' is perhaps the [[SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound singular most satisfying sound effect]] in ''Smash''.
** Then what character was confirmed for Smash 4? ''The annoying dog from VideoGame/DuckHunt''. Before the game was even released, a lot of gamers relished the opportunity to finally lay a beatdown on him. Ironically, finally beating him up ended up with him being RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap.
** Speaking of hated entities, the [[VideoGame/MegaMan7 Wily Machine VII]] is an Assist Trophy in ''Ultimate'', and since you can thrash on, and ultimately KO, a large number of Assist Trophies, your childhood revenge fantasies can finally come to life in this game.
** Have some strongly-worded [[IronicEcho objections]] with [[VideoGame/MetroidOtherM Adam Malkovich]]? Want to personally revoke [[VideoGame/KidIcarusUprising Viridi's]] KarmaHoudiniWarranty? Has [[VideoGame/XenobladeChroniclesX Tatsu]] been TheLoad one too many times? ''World of Light'' has you covered! All of these characters and more have been turned into "Spirits", characters that aren't actually playable, but are faithfully represented in-game as a sort of Event Match. This means that, if any character from any one game rubbed you the wrong way, beating the absolute crap out of them is just the simplest of joys.
** None other than Sephiroth, one of the most famous examples of LoveToHate and EvilIsCool in all gaming, joins the cast of ''Ultimate'' in the 2nd fighter's pass. Which boss does he fight in his Classic Mode? ''[[BossRush All of them.]]'' You ''will'' feel like a badass [[TheWorfEffect demolishing them all.]]

* The easiest difficulty of ''VideoGame/BattleArenaToshinden'' is called "[[LampshadeHanging Stress Relief]]."

*** Or ''VideoGame/KillerInstinct'' and its Ultra Combos, especially in the 2013 game. Few things help blow off some tension like punching/kicking/etc. an annoying foe upwards of a hundred times while they're unable to stop you.

*** Seeing [[spoiler:Sindel and Shao Kahn get ''massively'' outplayed by Shang Tsung, getting their souls stolen and reduced to dried out husks after all of the terrible things that they've done in the ''Aftermath'' expansion. Can double as a TakeThatScrappy in Sindel's case for those turned-off by her retcon.]]

* ''Everything'' about playing [[BigBad Terumi Yuuki]] from ''[[VideoGame/BlazBlueChronoPhantasma BlazBlue: Chronophantasma]]'' could be sorted into this category. Most of his attacks revolve around [[CombatPragmatist blatant dirty moves]]; he has ''two'' different moves to [[KickThemWhileTheyreDown Kick His Opponents While They're Down]] and he has ''insane'' Super Meter gain. Of course, the reverse also works. If you're so sick at how evil he is, just put him as your training dummy for training and make him your personal sandbag to make you feel better. Same goes to Relius Clover. Also, for their evilness, it'll be a great catharsis to go online, find someone who uses them, then ASTRAL them.

* ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'' and ''VideoGame/InjusticeGodsAmongUs'': pick your least favorite superhero/villain and pummel them to your heart's desire. And exclusively for Injustice, subject them to environmental hazards, like getting beaten up by Arkham Asylum inmates, getting tossed into space, or getting run over by a train to name a few...
** Extra points in ''Injustice 2's'' story. In the second chapter, you play as [[spoiler:Harley Quinn, who gets gassed by Scarecrow and faces one of her worst fears: Joker (who died at Superman's hands at the start of the first game). He almost tricks her into killing Batman (whom she now sides with) but she tells him: "Ain't no slick fella with a cheap suit and cheaper grin tellin' me who I am ever again! We had mad love once upon a time, but now that's over, Mr J!" The resultant fight is a dream come true who any who hate the Joker/Harley ship.]]

* The second ''VideoGame/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAsPortable'' has [[spoiler:[[KarmaHoudini the Liese Twins]]]] as playable characters, allowing the player to intact vengeance for what they did to [[TheWoobie Hayate and the Wolkenritter]] in ''[[Anime/MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaAs A's]]''. Later games also included [[spoiler:[[AbusiveParents Precia Testarossa]]]], but it ends up a subversion, [[spoiler:since it was around this time the Nanoha series [[RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap started making Precia more sympathetic.]]]]
* ''VideoGame/{{Mugen}}'': Given how many characters there are, all you need to do is take the [[GameBreaker most overpowered character you can find]], then take who or whatever has been displeasing you or simply your least favorite character, and then [[PunctuatedForEmphasis go. To. TOWN.]] And if you want to relieve even ''more'' stress, take an appropriate character and perform a [[Franchise/MortalKombat Fatality]], [[VideoGame/FistOfTheNorthStarTwinBlueStarsOfJudgment Fatal KO]], [[Franchise/BlazBlue Astral Finish]], [[Anime/GaoGaiGar Hell And Heaven, Goldion Hammer]], [[Franchise/KamenRider Rider Kick]], Creator/ChuckNorris roundhouse kick, or whatever type of OneHitKill pleases you.

* Any of the ''VideoGame/Left4Dead'' games. Start a round where you have a sniper rifle in the saferoom, but don't leave the saferoom. Just shoot off headshots from the safety of your safe house. The AI director even realizes that you're doing this and spawns more zombies for you to kill.
* ''[[VideoGame/GoldenEye1997 GoldenEye]]''. Invincibility. All Guns. infinite Ammo. Pick a level.
** Then try combining Invincibility with Turbo Mode, Tiny Bond and 2x Hunting Knives. No Spetznaz or Janus operatives can withstand the wrath of knee-stabbing midget 007.

** ''VideoGame/UnrealTournament2004'' + Conduit + Vampire + Super Berserk + Slow Motion Corpses = Your very own [[Film/TheMatrix Matrix]] / [[Film/ThreeHundred 300]] cutscene.

* ''Franchise/AlienVsPredator''. Skirmish. Marine-Smartgun. Don't even have to aim. Just press LMB and watch the limbs fly.
* What's that? You've played through every ''VideoGame/{{Marathon}}'' game on each difficulty, and countless fan mods, and think the edge has gone out of the game? Now that you've gotten really good, go back and play through on "Kindergarten" or "Easy" and watch as you effortlessly slaughter Phfor and save the galaxy without breaking a sweat.
* ''VideoGame/{{BioShock|1}}''. Fort Frolic. [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic Waltz of the Flowers.]]
** [[spoiler: Or alternatively, beating the living '''shit''' out of [[BigBad Frank Fontaine]] with every weapon and plasmid you have. To sweeten the catharsis, [[HoistedByHisOwnPetard you can kill Fontaine with the same wrench that he used]] to [[HeroKiller kill]] [[VideoGame/BioshockInfiniteBurialAtSea Elizabeth Booker]], giving Fontaine both an IronicDeath and a KarmicDeath.]]
* ''VideoGame/Postal2''. Especially with the [[LudicrousGibs AWP mod]]. And especially with [[ExaggeratedTrope AWP and the extra weapon mods]]
* ''VideoGame/ModernWarfare'': Few things in life beat flipping that switch or popping open a laptop to unleash a world of hurt on the unwitting fools facing you.
** ''Modern Warfare 3'', final mission. There's no better satisfaction than seeing '''Objective Completed''' pop up and knowing that Makarov is finally dead.
* ''VideoGame/{{Painkiller}}'': You have hordes upon hordes of mooks and some of the most creative weapons ever to reduce them to LudicrousGibs with. Arsenal and enjoyment options include (but are not limited to):
** The titular '''Painkiller''' - a staff with a crown of rotating blades at the end (jumping with that in a horde of zombies), which can be ''launched'' at enemies, either pulling them toward you or shredding them to pieces.
** '''Shotgun/freezer''' - freezing an invincible monster rushing at you and then blasting it to pieces with the shotgun (or freezing a flying one and watch it drop like a stone and shatter on the ground)
** The epic Stakegun - a '''pneumatic catapult that launches metre-long wooden stakes''' which can pin enemies to walls, floors, ceilings, support beams and ''other enemies'', combined with a grenade launcher for dispersing that pesky crowd that gets in the way of the above activity (this is the weapon that ''will'' chew off a big chunk of your time and you'll love it), or you can impale a grenade on a stake effectively turning yourself into a fully mobile artillery gun which can blow up almost anything anywhere
** The famous '''rocket launcher/chaingun combo''', often praised as the most practical gun ever, with one of the hardest but most satisfying activities - propelling enemies into the air by shooting a rocket at their feet, then blowing them apart in mid-air with a perfectly timed second one (seriously, watch a video of this)
** The '''shuriken launcher/electrodriver''' - turning mooks into pin cushions, frying them, or the combo mode - charge and shoot the whole disc with shurikens which will electrocute everything around it.
** Then there's [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill Demon Morph]] mode.
* Yes, there are days in ''VideoGame/TeamFortress2'' where things just won't go your way. And then there's the days when you're playing as a Demoman and a friendly Medic gives you a kritzkrieg, turning you into the anti-god allowing you to one hit kill every living thing that dared to spawn on the other team.
** Or, in the same vein, playing the same Demo, going against the last point of any attack/defend map that just happens to have a ton of enemy Engineers. Generally, friendly Medics are often looking for a Demoman in these situations, so you're effectively guaranteed to get an [[GodMode Ubercharge]]. Waltz into the last point, and start laying stickybombs. You have eight seconds of Uber, and eight bombs. Detonate them just as the Uber ends, and watch as the entire enemy sentry-nest goes up in smoke. Then enjoy the worship from your team, because you just won the round in a single motion.

* ''[[VideoGame/BattlefieldBadCompany Battlefield: Bad Company 2]]'' : Crouched beside a tree with a bead on a running enemy across the map, adjust for distance, lead the target, squeeze the trigger, and watch as the falling tracer round collides with the unsuspecting head.
* And then there's ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}''. After nearly 20 years, the sound of the shotgun pumping is ''still'' the most satisfying thing you will ever hear.
** ''VideoGame/BrutalDoom'' {{Exaggerate|dTrope}}s this. Punch an enemy to death while under the berserker power-up and be treated to an animation of Doom guy ''[[ComicBook/{{Doom}} RIPPING AND TEARING]]'' their guts with his bare hands. The CatharsisFactor even applies in-universe as Doom guy regains a bit of health after each enemy killed this way, with stronger enemies giving more health.
** And then ''VideoGame/Doom2016'' comes around, which quickly became known as catharsis incarnate.
** ''VideoGame/RussianOverkill'' is ''not'' a mod one plays for the challenge. It's a mod solely designed for the most over-the-top violence one can have. There's even a special gameplay mode that replaces ''all'' weapon drops with the game's six different {{BFG}}s, as well as upgrading most health kits to Supreme Healths. Combine it with ''Brutal Doom'' and you've got double the catharsis.
** And ''then'', ''VideoGame/DoomEternal'' came along and added more fun toys to Rip and Tear with, along with a bunch more deserving victims [[spoiler:all the way up to the game's equivelant of ''[[Main/{{Satanic Archetype}} Satan himself]]'' in the DLC]]!
* ''VideoGame/{{Bulletstorm}}''. Oh, the numerous ways of destroying your foes. This might as well be ''Catharsis: The Game''. Headshots? Yawn. Shoot someone in the [[GroinAttack nuts]] with a rocket, blasting him into the air, leash him into a carnivorous plant, then toss a random bomb in? Now we're talking. Have many bullets! And what are you going to do for an encore?
** If a normal playthrough doesn't satisfy you, completing the campaign in the [[UpdatedRerelease Full Clip Edition]] unlocks Overkill Mode, a NewGamePlus that does away with the three-weapon limit and gives you access to every weapon in the game from the start. To top it all of, performing every skillshot with a weapon grants you infinite ammo for that weapon. If you manage to perform every skillshot in the game, you'll basically be an unstoppable force of walking death.
* ''VideoGame/PerfectDark'': Go into multiplayer, set the number of sims to 8, disable shields, and add the [[GameBreaker FarSight]]. Now see how many you can pick off in the course of ten minutes. (Over 100 is a good goal.)
* ''VideoGame/HaloReach'' with custom Firefight settings. Bottomless Clip + Invulnerability + [=InstaKill=] damage = [[GodMode Good times]]. Especially good if you just got done with [[HarderThanHard a solo run on Legendary]].
* ''VideoGame/{{Singularity}}'' has the Deadlock plus shotgun combo. (Technically Deadlock plus anything, but shotgun is most brutally effective and fun.) A bubble of stopped time (that doesn't apply to you), plus setting up a point-blank shotgun blast right on each enemy in turn, then waiting for the bubble to collapse. ''Everything'' dies in the most fantastically horrible manner all at once. Or, in the final stretch of the game, your time-manipulation device gets powered up so it no longer uses up the energy meter, which makes you the time-controlling god of death that it sounds.
* In the wake of September 11, ''VideoGame/RainbowSix'' as the premier tactical shooter found itself hit with one GameMod after another either centering on a Delta Force mission to kill Bin Laden in the Khyber Pass or focus on UsefulNotes/TheWarOnTerror in general. Fans even got Ubisoft to submit the bus terminal map for ''Black Thorn'' and rework it to the original vision of an airport.
* ''VideoGame/DeusEx'' has several of these moments:
** When you arrive in Hong Kong, one of the first things you see is an arrogant boy named Louis Pan, who extorts protection money from a nearby newspaper vendor and repeatedly tells JC that if he wanted to, he could tell the Triads about him and have him killed. It is incredibly satisfying to take him out, and there is no penalty for it (besides Gordon Quick admonishing you).
** The flamethrower. ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill. It may seem over-the-top or sadistic, but there's no denying that it's satisfying to run into a room full of enemies, turn the napalm on full blast and start spraying. It's also hilarious to see enemies like the otherwise-stalwart Men in Black running around with their hands in the air screaming.
** This game takes VideoGameCrueltyPotential to the extreme, and allows the player to get away with things that wouldn't fly in most other games. You can toss bodies off roofs or into rivers for the hell of it. Tranquilizing people leads to them running around while moshing up and down in pain. You can set rocket-armed security bots on weak NSF enemies, or you can just run through locations causing havoc for innocent civilians.
* ''VideoGame/DeusExHumanRevolution'' has some pretty satisfying animations when performing Take Downs. Both lethal and non-lethal. It never gets old seeing Adam tricking a mook into punching another, and then taking him out, or backhanding two mooks at one, or shoving a blade through both their chests.
* In ''{{VideoGame/Dishonored}}'', the whole game is this if you're playing high chaos. Anyone annoy you? Blow their brains out! Subtlety? The ''fuck'' is that? Managing my powers? '''PPPFFFTTTT'''. Conservation is for nerds.
** This doesn't even begin to describe the insane rube-goldberg machines of death and terror you can create in game. Cut off a persons head, stop time near another guard, and toss said head next to him. Watch and laugh as he reacts to being hit- then recoils in terror at the sight of the head. Why not possess a man and make him walk into a pile of vicious man-eating rats? The possibilities are absolutely insane.
** Especially present in the Low Chaos final mission, Light At The End. At this point in the game, it's effectively shunted you into one of two endings, and depending on the level name, that's the ending you'll get no matter how many high or low chaos actions you do. On low chaos and playing as a conservative, stealthy ghost, ''finally'' being able to cut loose and blow apart any poor sod that walks into your line of sight is incredibly satisfying. For extra satisfaction, walk the whole time. You '''will''' feel like a badass.
* Didn’t like [[VideoGame/CallOfDutyGhosts Rorke]]'s status as an InvincibleVillain? In ''VideoGame/CallOfDutyMobile'', he’s a skin and can be killed over and over and over again.
* ''VideoGame/SilentHillTheArcade'': After playing most of the series as powerless protagonists, it's very satisfying for Silent Hill players to gun down the monsters here with unlimited ammo pistols.

* ''VideoGame/{{Drakengard}}'' is this; why not take a dragon and just rain hellfire against giant phalanxes of troops that are completely powerless to hurt you? Or if you so wish, hop down and singlehandedly slash through the innards of thousands.
* ''[[VideoGame/NinjaGaiden Ninja Gaiden 2]]'' for the Xbox 360 was almost entirely ThatOneLevel and ThatOneBoss, but if you managed to beat it you could restart from the beginning with all the upgrades you'd accumulated. Cue a 5-second slaughter of entire rooms of formerly-infuriating ninjas.
** The ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' series started that back in 2005. Along with costumes to allow extra health, or infinite magic, as well as looking silly (there is no way you can feel stressed when you're watching a cow swing its milk jugs around to whack skeletons). With the second, however, the second playthrough gave you the Blade of Olympus. The weapon that shoots {{Sword Beam}}s, can suck out the souls of enemies and is a massive game breaker in your hands as soon as you begin the game. And the third game lets you take down ''titans''.
* ''[[VideoGame/RiseOfTheKasai The Mark of Kri]]'' has unlockable arenas, the first of which only sends basic, melee-attack-only enemies at you, all of whom die instantly and ''[[MadeOfPlasticine spectacularly]]'' with the use of the game's ultimate weapon. Not only can you rack up over 50 kills per minute, but your acts of violence will leave the survivors of them to ''run from you in horror''.
* ''VideoGame/CondemnedCriminalOrigins'' and its sequel ''VideoGame/Condemned2Bloodshot''. Both games consist mostly of picking up pipes, nail bats, bottles and sporting equipment and beating the ever loving crap out of anything that looked at you funny. Without weapons you had punches, kicks, headbutts and vicious environmental kills; including but not limited too: Curb stomps, slamming heads in doors, throwing people into TV sets, hurling them off the side of buildings, and best of all, curb stomping them into a filthy toilet.
* ''VideoGame/TheForceUnleashed'' is ''VideoGame/GodOfWar'' with Force powers. So feel free to hit an enemy with your lightsaber, then zap him with lightning and throw him into a bottomless pit.
** This ''Webcomic/PennyArcade'' strip [[http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2008/08/20/a-life-of-service gives an example]], and it's '''not''' exaggerating. Those are actually things you can ''do''.
** One of the final levels of the game takes place on the Death Star, where it is currently putting the KillSat weapon through its test runs. All throughout the level, you need to time the firing of the lasers and avoid being vaporized. There's a few open areas that the beams fire through, which gives you the opportunity to force throw stormtroopers into the beam as it fires. Or, you can Force Hold a stormtrooper up in the air, in the firing path, watching him struggle and squirm as the laser charges up and fires. It's one of the most psychotically ''sick'' things you can do in the entire game, but SOOOOOO satisfying.
* The [[PolishedPort PC version]] and [[UpdatedRerelease Special Edition]] of ''VideoGame/DevilMayCry4'', add the unlockable "[[IdiosyncraticDifficultyLevels Legendary Dark Knight]]" difficulty, which can be described as "Normal with ''[[ZergRush lots]]'' of enemies." Once you get a bit of practice, it becomes surprisingly cathartic to just carve a bloody swath through hordes of baddies.

* ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance''. There is nothing more satisfying than using Blade Mode or [[SuperMode Ripper Mode]] against enemies to "chop them into hamburger", as one character puts it. Once you beat the game, you unlock a wig that lets you stay in Blade Mode for an infinite amount of time, meaning you can chop an enemy into a hundred pieces ''after'' [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill whaling on them with a combo, launching them into the air, and]] ''[[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill then]]'' [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill ripping out their spine and crushing it with your bare hand]].
** Note that each boss ends with a Blade Mode segment. You ''could'' just chop them once and be done with it, but...why would you stop?
* In ''VideoGame/{{Bayonetta}}'', this is the general point of the Climax attacks you can perform to finish of major mooks and bosses. After a likely [[NintendoHard quite brutal]] fight, there's nothing like summoning a huge freakin' demon from Hell to devour whatever [[MotorMouth blathering]] angel has been causing you so much annoyance, with QuickTimeEvents to really deliver brutality to them before seeing them dragged into Hell, cursing your name in impotent rage. The BloodyHilarious Torture Attacks can have the same result, especially when used on DemonicSpiders.

* ''VideoGame/PrinceOfPersia2008'' is extremely soothing, thanks to its smooth, free-flowing parkour platforming and breathtakingly beautiful environments.
* ''VideoGame/{{Psychonauts}}''. The ''kaiju'' parody PerspectiveFlip known as Lungfishopolis. You play the role of the monster, while in a crowded city that has perfectly breakable buildings. What's more, if you go in there again after the plot happens, said city is due to be demolished. You do the math.
** Along with RuleOfFunny, this has ''got'' to be why you can use pyrokinesis on squirrels in the camp. Raz himself seemed to acknowledge this trope both in Sasha's Shooting Gallery ("Shooting things is fun and useful!") and Waterloo World ("I can set wood on fire with my mind, you know.") to a wooden game piece. The second is kind of justified, given the day he'd been having...
* ''Franchise/StarWars: [[Film/ThePhantomMenace Episode 1]]'' for the PSX gives you the ability to slice Jar Jar to ribbons with your lightsaber in the second level.
* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'': You gotta admit that it's pretty darn refreshing to be able to GoombaStomp every dumb {{Mook}} in your path or tear them down with a PowerUp of your liking. [[InvincibilityPowerUp Starman-powered Mario]] and its SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound definitely takes the cake in that regard.

* This is the reason the final level of ''VideoGame/DistortedTravesty'' is [[BestLevelEver so awesome]]. After massive {{Difficulty Spike}}s, NintendoHard platforming, and an extremely difficult boss who's a challenge even on Easy Mode... the last level grants you SuperSpeed, [[HealingFactor regenerating health]], and platforms that rise up to prevent you from falling into BottomlessPits. It sounds anticlimactic, but it is a fantastic way to blow off all the stress and frustration the previous level likely instilled in you. (And the very end ratchets up the difficulty again, so it's not entirely without challenge.)

* In ''VideoGame/CopyKitty'', a game that focuses on unique and powerful weapon combinations, there's nothing more stress-relieving than activating both the infinite ammo and invincibility cheats (which is no easy feat to begin with) and wreak havoc on your personal ThatOneBoss.
* ''VideoGame/LaMulana'' can and will make you hate its [[GoddamnedBats Goddamned Literal Bats]], who love to [[KnockBack knock you all over the place]]. Come the remake, and one of the items you can get is the Scriptures, which renders you [[NoSell completely invulnerable]] to bats, leaving you free to whip the now-harmless assholes to death.
* After being plagued at nearly every turn in ''VideoGame/Spyro2RiptosRage'' and ''[[VideoGame/SpyroYearOfTheDragon Year of the Dragon]]'' by [[CashGate Moneybags]], getting the opportunity to finally [[spoiler:[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOwFgJ0DAzs chase him down yourself and beat seven shades of crap out of him in the process]]]], getting back every last gem he had extorted from you in the latter game is probably the most gratifying moments in the entire series. Sure, Hunter getting you your money back from him at the end of ''Ripto's Rage'' and the [[RecruitmentByRescue other playable characters]] that you free through ''Year of the Dragon'' dealing out their own punishment on him was nice, but this time? Revenge is '''''yours''''', and it's never tasted so sweet. Then there's the ''[[VideoGame/SpyroReignitedTrilogy Reignited Trilogy]],'' which gives you the "8,000 Reasons To Kick Butt" trophy for getting your sweet, '''sweet''' payback on that bear.
* In the ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' and ''VideoGame/MegaManZX'' series, you get to cut enemies in half; finishing off a boss this way is even more satisfying. ''ZX Advent'' also lets you blow holes in the bosses' torsos with charged buster shots.
* In the ''VideoGame/{{Pinocchio}}'' video game, you get to ''kill the Coachman'' for turning countless children into donkeys and causing many more sleepless nights. Bonus points go to the SNES version where he actually cries out in pain every time he gets hit.

* Pick a game in the ''VideoGame/TotalWar'' series. Any game. Now load up a custom battle. Give yourself as many units of elite cavalry as you possibly can and the enemy only masses of peasants. Then turn your horsemen loose and watch them cut through the unwashed rabble like scythes through a field of ripe grain.
** Gunpowder siege weapons + a cowardly enemy hiding in the city center = bowling for peasants. There's just something so cheering about seeing a line of enemy infantry launched into the air as a cannonball skips down the main avenue. Especially if your opponent has been rude on the world map, or put up especially annoying resistance on the city walls.
** In ''VideoGame/RomeTotalWar'', setting up a battle with maxed out Seleucid Armored Elephants, verses Roman Incendiary Pigs, on the Grassy Flatlands. Just send all your elephants right into the center of the Roman Swine, then sit back, relax, and watch flaming pigs fly.
** ''VideoGame/TotalWarWarhammer'' by itself is immensely satisfying to fans of the [[TabletopGame/WarhammerFantasyBattle original tabletop game]]. Being able to see the Old World again after the infamous ''End Times'' storyline destroyed it is quite nice. The fact that you can defeat the forces of Chaos during the campaign, averting the End Times and preventing ''TabletopGame/WarhammerAgeOfSigmar'', is especially gratifying.
* ''VideoGame/SupremeCommander''. "Add unit" cheat. 1000 Mercy guided missiles right over an enemy base.
* ''VideoGame/StarCraft'', as well as [[VideoGame/StarcraftII its sequel]]. Loading up a game online against one of your noob friends or an easy computer and utterly demolishing them with a ZergRush. Good times.
** Or perhaps not rushing them, but waiting, teching up and steamrolling the crap out of them with some of the more epic units. (Carriers, Thors, Battlecruisers, etc.) Oh, and the occasional [[YouNukeEm nuke]].
*** Or even better than the ''occasional'' Nuke: build as many nuke silos/ghost academies as you can, fill them all with nukes, set them all to a control group so you can have them rebuilding and launching nonstop, send in a few dozen ghosts and turn the map into a nuclear wasteland.

* ''VideoGame/BlackAndWhite'': You can let off steam by [[VideogameCrueltyPotential tormenting your villagers]] or you can cheer yourself up by [[VideogameCaringPotential playing with your creature and watching the mostly-contented villagers of a well-managed village]].

* ''VideoGame/TotalAnnihilation'' has flying transport units that can "transport" enemy units, especially if they're AI.
* ''VideoGame/RiseOfLegends'' is good for a teched-up steamroller in most missions, which is especially satisfying after a main mission with a gimmick. But on the more positive side of things, there's something special about a mission where you've been pounded heavily for a while, then get a long enough break for the "downtime" songs to kick in - the Vinci song, "[=LenoraLongAmb=]" (Lenora Long Ambient), is a lovely, relaxing piano piece.

* ''VideoGame/CommandAndConquerGenerals'': Play on a city map against multiple easy AI, build up 50ish superweapons shoot them all at once. Nothing quite compares to the joy of blowing up the entire screen with 100s of nukes, 1000s of scuds or waves of unending lasers.

* ''VideoGame/{{Pikmin}}'': After every boss fight in the series, the boss can be taken back to the onion and turned into more Pikmin for you. Needless to say, turning the monster that was just menacing you into more loyal soliders is beyond fun.

* ''VideoGame/AdvanceWars:''

* Letting certain characters get the killing blow on certain bosses in the ''Franchise/FireEmblem'' series can be incredibly satisfying due to the various circumstances surrounding the situation. Some examples include...
** Palla, Catria, or Atlas killing Grieth in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGaiden'' and ''[[VideoGameRemake Echoes: Shadows of Valentia]]'', since he'd kidnapped their younger sibling(s).
** Nino getting to finish off Sonia in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'', due to the [[AbusiveParents years of mistreatment]] Nino had to deal with. Even more satisfying considering [[MagikarpPower the amount of effort]] it takes to get Nino to be able to fight Sonia in the first place.
** In the same game, Nino, Jaffar, or Renault killing off Nergal. The first two due to Nergal being at least partially responsible for their bad childhoods, and Renault due to [[spoiler:Nergal turning his friend into a [[EmptyShell Morph]].]]
** Having Takumi fight Iago in the ''Birthright'' branch of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'' is some well-deserved karma, since Iago had been [[spoiler:using Takumi as an [[UnwittingPawn unwitting spy]] against the group for a good chunk of the game]].
** ''VideoGame/FireEmblemGenealogyOfTheHolyWar'' has ''tons'' of these, making it some shining awesome moments in the midst of [[DarkerAndEdgier a really dark game.]]
*** After the jealous and incompetent King Chagall had Eldigan executed for asking for peace, it is satisfying to have Eldigan's best friend Sigurd, both the main character and having to fight Eldigan because Chagall made him to; or Lachesis, Eldigan's adoring little sister, go out and kill the bastard.
*** Depending on how you view the scenario, you can have either Finn or Leif kill [[spoiler:Travant for initiating the Yied Massacre that led to the deaths of Quan and Ethlyn, and the kidnapping of Altenna. If you think Travant crossed the MoralEventHorizon and no reasons or actions could get him out of it, you may like trying to emulate Leif's response about dreaming to kill Travant with his bare hands.]]
*** May be downplayed with [[spoiler:killing Arvis with Seliph. While some players might feel satisfied for having Seliph avenge Sigurd for the massacre at Belhalla and no amounts of well intentions that Arvis actually delivered before things went to hell would salvage him from it, the story proceeds with Seliph actually realizing that VengeanceFeelsEmpty and had no satisfactions that the players might have.]]
*** Tine/Linda or her big brother Arthur/Amid killing Hilda for [[spoiler:her brutal, reasonless, proud torture to their mother Tailtiu/Ethnia... and especially on Tailtiu, because the player knew her as [[TheCutie a bright, cheerful cutie]] that [[BreakTheCutie got horribly broken]] [[KillTheCutie to death]] majorly because of Hilda.]]
*** During the final battle, Seliph can confront Manfroy who reveals that he was responsible for every bad things and griefs that plagued Jugdral for the sake of his plan to have his God engulf Jugdral in darkness. [[ThisIsUnforgivable Seliph's fury against Manfroy]] is extremely relatable to the players, who wants to sock him in the face for just about every tragedy that transpired because of his design.

*** Watching Caulder [[spoiler:kill the Mayor. Not that anyone's rooting for Caulder at this point, and he only gets worse from here, but that mayor has taken every single opportunity take advantage of their HeroComplex, and then turn his back on them to serve his own benefits, not pay his share of the work, or just to kick them in the nards because he's just a gigantic piece of shit. Then Caulder plays to his selfish greed to trick him into taking poison under the guise of it being an antidote, in an act that can charitably be described as "Caulder's only decent action".]]

* In ''VideoGame/{{Unpacking}}'', if you try to place a picture of the protagonist and [[spoiler: her ex-boyfriend]] on the cork board after their break-up, she'll stick the pin through their face.

* Any of the ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' gmes that allow a NewGamePlus option, which retains your weapons and/or give you access to a [[InfinityPlusOneSword ridiculously power powerful one]]. All those zombies, Hunters, Ganados, Majinnis, Jaevos, Lickers, and other freaks of nature who originally gave you a tough time when you were undergunned and caused much grief? Make them quiver in their boots when armed with an infinite rocket launcher/shotgun/magnum/gatling! In 4, the P.R.L. weapon is probably the most powerful weapon in the game as it is like a combination shotgun, magnum, rifle, and flash grenade in one. It's lso more practical than the infinite rocket launcher since it isn't cumbersome or cause explosion damage, and it also fire numerous laser that home in on all onscreen targets.

*** The final boss is an evil S.O.B who has destroyed the heroes' lives, and will cause [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI even]] [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsChainOfMemories more]] [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII grief]] [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts358DaysOver2 in]] [[VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance the]] [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsIII future]]. [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome Now you get to bash his face in with a giant key.]] You get to do that earlier in Terra's Episode as the [[BonusBoss Lingering Will]]. Then again, considering it's [[GrandTheftMe Terra's face and body]] he's wearing, you may not end up enjoying it as much as you would have.

* ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne'' and ''VideoGame/DigitalDevilSaga'' use the Press Turn Icon System. Short version, the number of times the player gets to go per time the opponent does is entirely dependent on skill level: the player can go up to ten times (after a sidequest in Noctune) for every time the opponent tries to pull something and is denied by your party build. Obviously, a game with a mechanic designed to let smart players kick that much ass has to be NintendoHard to compensate, and they are. [[ExaggeratedTrope Oh, they are.]] Players who [[TooDumbToLive do something stupid]] will die: those who learn to work the system will [[CurbStompBattle curb stomp]] their enemies. The feeling of godlike power smiting one's enemies is even better after [[BonusBoss fighting the]] [[VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIIINocturne Demifiend]], and getting to experience what it was like to be one of the demons you utterly annihilated. The ''protagonist of Nocturne'', aka you, the player, is the hardest RPG BonusBoss ''of all time.'' It makes the player feel rather godlike.

** The Bowser Jr. BonusBoss allows you to hijack the Clown Car and chase him down the screen while throwing items at his head. After all the chase scenes done by bosses to you, now ''you'' get to be the one who chases.

* Store up enough finishers in the latest [[VideoGame/{{WWE}} WWE wrestling game]] and unload them one after another... especially if it's a wrestler whom you can't stand. Then comes the really fun part: you can use the create-a-wrestler feature to make practically ''anybody'' you can't stand, give them a pathetically wimpy moveset, and go to town on them by unloading finisher after finisher, letting go of pinfalls just before the 3 count, repeatedly breaking weapons over their heads, slamming their face into ringposts, metal steps and other scenery, and releasing submission locks just before the tapout until you feel all better. Wrestling games can be ''excellent'' stress relievers.

* ''VideoGame/{{Lemmings}}'' - There comes a time in which there's nothing more soothing than discovering the most fun and artistic ways to set them up for when you activate the [[KillEmAll Nuke button]]. Maybe you want 100 packed into a tiny area, so that you can make an explosion so powerful that you can cleave through [[NighInvulnerable steel plates]]. Maybe you want to see the perfect timing for when explosions go off compared to when they start counting down. Maybe you want to see if you can properly time the explosions to make art out of the remaining parts of the level. Or maybe you just want a virtual storm of confetti to celebrate your birthday. Regardless of which it is, you know you're in for some fun when you hit the button and hear that pleasing [[OhCrap "Oh, no!"]]

* ''VideoGame/ShinMegamiTenseiIV''. Does the war between Law, Neutral, and Chaos present throughout several games in the series [[TooBleakStoppedCaring piss you off to the point where you just don't care anymore]]? [[spoiler:Introducing the Nihilism ending, where you get to [[ZeroEffortBoss beat up on a defenseless machine]] and [[KillEmAll destroy the]] [[ApocalypseHow/ClassX4 entire universe]]!]]

** Veterans may be familiar with the Plesioth, a giant fish-like wyvern notorious for the [[HitboxDissonance abnormally large hitbox]] of its [[ThatOneAttack hipcheck]]. ''Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate'' lets those frustrated with the Plesioth relieve their stresses by catching it in a fishing {{minigame}}, [[TakeThatScrappy causing it to die instantly upon landing on the wharf]].

** On a lighter note, the sheep/alpaca-like Moofahs in ''Generations'' that roam Bherna Village can be petted repeatedly until they jump up and down with affection. [[SugarWiki/SweetDreamsFuel Aww!]]

* ''VideoGame/XenobladeChronicles1'' and ''VideoGame/XenobladeChroniclesX'' both populate their overworlds with enemies that may be a good five, six, or ''twenty'' times your level/size, barring you from certain areas or forcing you to tensely sneak around them. Coming back after you've properly leveled and/or are inside a HumongousMecha and taking them down is both immensely satisfying and a good indication of how much your party has grown.
** In ''Xenoblade Chronicles'' specifically, [[spoiler:being able to kill the final boss Zanza is immensely satisfying after everything he has done especially as he goes through a VillainousBreakdown since he can no longer see the future but Shulk is able to see his.]]

* In ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXIV'', there is one quest in which TheEmpire kidnaps the player character's "Boss" (so to speak) and the rest of the Scions, the organisation that the player character belongs to and has been doing missions for. The IntendedAudienceReaction was a PlayerPunch and a WhamEpisode - but considering the amounts of [[{{Padding}} running back and forth from the Waking Sands to other areas, and the constant warping to an area a few miles away and running there]] that the player had been subjected to, this instead made people feel relieved that they might ''never'' have to go to the bloody Waking Sands ''again''.

*** The Dynamax Lair from Gen 8 takes the cake. Good Lord, '''The Dynamax Lair.''' Imagine for a sec, a place where you can catch '''Many''' of the franchise's most powerful Pokemon all in one convenient location, and all of them are level 60 and above, [[spoiler: '''including LEVEL 70 LEGENDARIES (AND ALL OF THEM FULLY OBEDIENT)!!!!!''']] It should not take you more than forty to fifty minutes (for those who aren't super greedy, anyway) to assemble a team filled with some of [[spoiler: the most Overpowered Legendaries]] in the entire Franchise. And not only is there no downside to this, but you can literally access this before you even reach the opening Gym Challenge ceremony. Let us reiterate. [[spoiler: '''This DLC LITERALLY gives you the option to catch an ABSURDLY OVERPOWERED AND FULLY OBEDIENT TEAM OF LEGENDARY POKEMON LONG before you even can fight THE FIRST GYM LEADER. AND THERE'S NO PENALTY FOR THIS!!!!!!!''']] Only a total masochist or Ash Ketchum himself would be able to turn this down.
** In the case of the ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonExplorers'' series, getting to fight Chatot during the graduation exam if you are still pissed at him for the perfect apple incident. Even more so if you or your partner have a [[ElementalRockPaperScissors type advantage]] against him as Pikachu or Shinx.

*** The Dynamax Lair from Gen 8 takes the cake. Good Lord, '''The Dynamax Lair.''' Imagine for a sec, a place where you can catch '''Many''' of the franchise's most powerful Pokemon all in one convenient location, and all of them are level 60 and above, [[spoiler: '''including LEVEL 70 LEGENDARIES (AND ALL OF THEM FULLY OBEDIENT)!!!!!''']] It should not take you more than forty to fifty minutes (for those who aren't super greedy, anyway) to assemble a team filled with some of [[spoiler: the most Overpowered Legendaries]] in the entire Franchise. And not only is there no downside to this, but you can literally access this before you even reach the opening Gym Challenge ceremony. Let us reiterate. [[spoiler: '''This DLC LITERALLY gives you the option to catch an ABSURDLY OVERPOWERED AND FULLY OBEDIENT TEAM LONG before you even can fight THE FIRST GYM LEADER. AND THERE'S NO PENALTY FOR THIS!!!!!!!''']] Only a total masochist or Ash Ketchum himself would be able to turn this down.

*** The Dynamax Lair from Gen 8 takes the cake. Good Lord, '''The Dynamax Lair.''' Imagine for a sec, a place where you can catch '''Many''' of the franchise's most powerful Pokemon all in one convenient location, and all of them are level 60 and above, [[spoiler: '''including LEVEL 70 LEGENDARIES (AND ALL OF THEM FULLY OBEDIENT)!!!!!''']] It should not take you more than forty to fifty minutes (for those who aren't super greedy, anyway) to assemble a team filled with some of the most Overpowered Legendaries in the entire Franchise. And not only is there no downside to this, but you can literally access this before you even reach the opening Gym Challenge ceremony. Let us reiterate. [[spoiler: '''This DLC LITERALLY gives you the option to catch an ABSURDLY OVERPOWERED AND FULLY OBEDIENT TEAM LONG before you even can fight THE FIRST GYM LEADER. AND THERE'S NO PENALTY FOR THIS!!!!!!!''']] Only a total masochist or Ash Ketchum himself would be able to turn this down.

*** The Dynamax Lair from Gen 8 takes the cake. Good Lord, '''The Dynamax Lair.''' Imagine for a sec, a place where you can catch '''Many''' of the franchise's most powerful Pokemon all in one convenient location, and all of them are level 60 and above, [[spoiler: '''including LEVEL 70 LEGENDARIES (AND ALL OF THEM FULLY OBEDIENT)!!!!!''']] It should not take you more than forty to fifty minutes (for those who aren't super greedy, anyway) to assemble a team filled with some of the most Overpowered Legendaries in the entire Franchise. And not only is there no downside to this, but you can literally access this before you even reach the opening Gym Challenge ceremony. Let us reiterate. [['''This DLC LITERALLY gives you the option to catch an ABSURDLY OVERPOWERED AND FULLY OBEDIENT TEAM LONG before you even can fight THE FIRST GYM LEADER. AND THERE'S NO PENALTY FOR THIS!!!!!!!''']] Only a total masochist or Ash Ketchum himself would be able to turn this down.

*** The Dynamax Lair from Gen 8 takes the cake. Good Lord, '''The Dynamax Lair.''' Imagine for a sec, a place where you can catch '''Many''' of the franchise's most powerful Pokemon all in one convenient location, and all of them are level 60 and above, '''including LEVEL 70 LEGENDARIES (AND ALL OF THEM FULLY OBEDIENT)!!!!!''' It should not take you more than forty to fifty minutes (for those who aren't super greedy, anyway) to assemble a team filled with some of the most Overpowered Legendaries in the entire Franchise. And not only is there no downside to this, but you can literally access this before you even reach the opening Gym Challenge ceremony. Let us reiterate. '''This DLC LITERALLY gives you the option to catch an ABSURDLY OVERPOWERED AND FULLY OBEDIENT TEAM LONG before you even can fight THE FIRST GYM LEADER. AND THERE'S NO PENALTY FOR THIS!!!!!!!''' Only a total masochist or Ash Ketchum himself would be able to turn this down.

** In the case of the ''VideoGame/PokemonMysteryDungeonExplorers'' series, getting to fight Chatot during the graduation exam if you are still pissed at him for the perfect apple incident. Even more so if you or your partner have a [[ElementalRockPaperScissors type advantage]] against him as Pikachu or Shinx.

* ''Francise/{{Metroid}}'':