The number of items in this game is incredible. There are several different weapon types with weapons that have individual attributes, strengths, and weaknesses. Same with armor. Also, the ability to equip two accessories gives so many different customization builds. Unlike most of the later games, it is not a straightforward thing to just buy the new weapon with the higher damage rating, or just equip generic accessories to all your characters.

In one playthrough I tried to acquire one of every item. I'm not even sure if this is possible, since some items are unique and require you to wager it at the coliseum to get another unique item.