3) It's not all grim
FFXII is serious business, full of grave brooding, tortured pasts, desperate battles and heavyweight emotions. But there's a lighter side: the Sky Pirate's Den is a collection room, accessible from the menu screen, where you unlock neat little character sprites in return for certain in-game achievements. The point? Not much, really - it's just for fun.
4) Hardest to find weapon ever
FFXII's weapons are as cool as iPod-flavored ice cream. Swords go THWACK, guns go BOOM and every character looks sexy as hell no matter which blade, shield or staff they're packing. But what's the strongest weapon? Easy - it's the Zodiac Spear with attack points of +150. How do you get this game-breaking mama? It's not easy. Here's a clue, though - some chests need to stay well and truly shut...
5) You could play it for years
You'll need to invest time "grinding" - boosting your stats by defeating stacks of smaller bosses, the RPG equivalent of homework - in order to see your way to the end of the story. FFXII is all too aware of this, and its myriad sub-aspects (hunting for contracted creature kills, unearthing rare creatures, chaining same-enemy kills for rare loot and items) can keep you playing waaaaay longer than you planned, thanks to the slickness of the combat system. You have been warned.
6) You can take time to relax
When established RPG fans complain about FFXII, their biggest beef always seems to come down to the fact that it's different. But don't be deceived by such naysayers - different is good. It even has a little fishing minigame, requiring you to match button prompts as they "swim" across the screen. While this might not be the kind of behavior you'd generally expect from a role-playing game, it's still a soothing little distraction.
