Something, I don't know what, prompted me to do a major, multi-week grind session of this game. I think it's near the end of Chapter 1, but there's a spot early on with infinitely spawning bad guys. I just sat there and killed them over and over and over, grabbing and selling their loot, and just building up experience to convert to cash at the end of the chapter. I just spent like twenty minutes a day doing it, and I still have no idea why.

But then I finished, and I ended the chapter, converted all my experience to gil, and bought every upgrade in the game. I had the final tier of every weapon, every fully upgraded accessory.

After doing this, I actually, really, really enjoyed most of the rest of the game. Having access to all the guns let me customize a more personal loadout (Sniper Rifles for life), and the fact that I had all the money I needed meant that I actually got experience upon completing levels (which, given how much money you actually need in this game, is something that basically never happens usually).

For as long as my PS2 was hooked up, I would still pop this game in every few months and play through a level with my maxed upgrades.