My first few days with Borderlands was the most fun I've had playing with my friends in a long, long time. I had a great time coordinating our party of 4 to defeat enemies, using the synergies of the skills each character brought to the table (we had a siren, sniper, and two differently-spec'd soldiers). The "grind" in this game is a grind, yes. It's the same solid, super fun experience of shooting and killing stuff for hours and hours on end, with the same ante-upping reward that Diablo gives you: "sweet! a shotgun that shoots rockets! ...SWEET! a rocket launcher that shoots 5 rockets and lights dudes on fire!" I think some expectations need adjusting (not down, just in a different direction).