Final Fantasy Versions History
For those new to the Final Fantasy world (or more accurately, worlds), some explanation might be required. Why did the games, when translated to English, suddenly jump from Final Fantasy III to Final Fantasy VII? For those slightly more in the know, why doesn't the newer Final Fantasy IV for the PlayStation quite match up with the SNES version Final Fantasy II? Well, I'll tell you. Start the music, please.
Final Fantasy
The first game in the series, developed for the NES in Japan. It did so well that it was translated to English and sold in North America, as well. Recently it has been released along with Final Fantasy II in the package titled Final Fantasy Origins, for the PlayStation (North America and Europe).
Final Fantasy II
The second game, also for the NES. Never released to the English world until recently, in the above package.
Final Fantasy III
The third game, again for the NES. Never released to the English world.
Final Fantasy IV
The fourth game, developed for the then-new SNES. I'll get to its first English incarnation in a moment. For now, let it be noted that it has somewhat recently been released for the PlayStation, as part of Final Fantasy Anthology (Japan and Europe) and Final Fantasy Chronicles (North America).
Final Fantasy IV Easytype
When the above game was released, it was thought by many to be too hard. Square then kindly released this easier version. As an example of the changes, there was only one item type to cure all of the status ailments, rather than one item type per status.
With me so far? Good. Because it's about to get complicated.
Final Fantasy II
Yes, there's that II again. Pestered by English-speaking fans for another Final Fantasy, Square finally released Final Fantasy IV Easytype, with a few slight modifications, as Final Fantasy II for the SNES in North America. The translation, it may be noted, is heavily censored and often inaccurate. (The later English version for the PlayStation (see above), used the original harder version of the game, and has a more accurate translation.) As it was the only Final Fantasy since the first one released in North America, they renamed it to avoid confusion. (And it worked so well, too...)
Final Fantasy V
The fifth game, for the SNES. Never released to the English world until recently, as part of Final Fantasy Anthology (in all of Japan, North America, and Europe's versions).
Final Fantasy VI
The sixth game, for the SNES. Again, I'll get to the first English version in a minute. Later it was released for the PlayStation as part of Final Fantasy Anthology in Japan and North America and by itself in Europe.
Final Fantasy III
You know where this is going by now, don't you? This is the English version of Final Fantasy VI. They continued the previous numbering system for their English versions, and since for whatever reason V wasn't transferred over, VI got to be III.
Final Fantasy VII
The seventh game, for the PlayStation and PC. When translated to English, the producers at Square apparently decided to be a little more farsighted with their numbering, and kept the VII.
And so on. After FFVII, it was easier to keep straight since the numbers finally matched up again, and every new title has so far been translated to English. It didn't help much with the tangle that already existed, however.
And now you know. While I personally have not verified much of this (I couldn't without going to some ridiculous lengths such as attempting to find old Japanese copies of the games and, uh, learning the language), this is what has been floating around the Final Fantasy community for so long that it is pretty much accepted as canon now.
