[kupoartist]

you shouldn't really mention Emulation in the forum as such... Just promise me that you're just using the emulator as the only way you're ever going to try out the game before you rush out and buy it. Right? Ok!

I'll try and explain the FF numbering problem... please tell me if you're confused. I'll mention only the relevent releases (many of the FF games have been published as many as 4 times). So you can identify them by Playing, i'll mention something about the beginning of the story. (BTW, the "NES" is actually the "Famicom" in Japan, but NES is shorter ^_^)

> Final Fantasy 1 [NES, WSC, PS1]:
Released as "Final Fantasy" in both Japan and the US on the NES.
- Four Light Warriors, all without names, save the world a bit. First enemy was called Garland, and he threatened to "Knock You Down"

> Final Fantasy 2 [NES, WSC, PS1]:
Released as "Final Fantasy II" in Japan on the NES. There was no US release until FF Origins came out this year.
- The game begins with 4 friends on the run from a group of Knights. They fight you, and you loose very badly. Leonheart goes missing, and the game begins....

> Final Fantasy 3 [NES]
Released as "Final Fantasy III" on NES. Never released in the US or indeed outside of Japan. A Wonderswan Colour (WSC) version was planned, but Square's improved relations with Nintendo stopped Development on it. Whether the FF3 remake emerges for GBA or PS1 remains to be seen.
- Four Young Boys (affectionatly known as "Onion Knights") go on a mission to save the world's crystals. It was the first FF to use a true "Job" system (which can also be found in FF5, FFTactics, FF Tactics Advance and FFX-2).

> Final Fantasy IV [SNES, PS1, WSC]
Released as "Final Fantasy IV" for the SNES (Super Famicom) in Japan. The US version was however called "Final Fantasy II", as The real FF 2 and 3 had not been released (and no plans to release them were forthcoming). When the PS1 version was released (in Final Fantasy Chronicles, alongside Chrono Trigger), they did however correct the numbering problem. Also, the "FFII" the US got wasn't exactly like FFIV - the jobs that the characters have are less in number, and the enemies easier. Squaresoft believed that American gamers would find the original version too hard! (FFII USA is often referred to as "FFIV Easytype").
- Cecil, Dark Knight and Commander of the Redwings questions why King Baron is taking the world's Crystal's by force. The result is that he is demoted and sent to deliver a package to the Summoner Village, assisted by his Dragoon pal Kain...

> Final Fantasy V [SNES, PS1]
Released in Japan as "Final Fantasy V". An American Version was planned (to be titled FF3), but slow development times caused the project to be halted in favour of FF6 as the US's FF3. [work on FF5 wasn't stopped completely: it was to be renamed "FF Extreme" and ported to the PC. It never happened though.]
FFV finally got a US release under the name of "Final Fantasy V" in the PS1 Package "Final Fantasy Anthology" (alongside FFVI)
- Meteors are raining from the sky and the Crystals of the world are shattering, causing the basic elements of the world to cease. These events bring together Bartz (Butz), the adventurer, Galuf, the old (memory kaputed) warrior, Reina, the Princess of Tycoon and Faris the Pirate. They go on a quest to prevent the destruction of the crystals...

> Final Fantasy VI [SNES, PS1]
Released as Final Fantasy VI in Japan on the SNES. On the same system, it was released as "Final Fantasy III" in the US. When re-released for PS1, it was rightfully renamed "Final Fantasy VI" in the US (in FF Anthology)
- By order if the Empire of Gesthal, Two Soldiers and a Mysterious girl, supposedly capable of the ancient and dead art of "Magic" go to investigate reports of the exitsence of a frozen Esper, a remenant from the War of the Magi 1000 years ago, in the Coal Mining town of Narshe...

> Final Fantasy VII [PS1]
this is as far as we go, but its worth noting that when Sony got their hands on the FF games, they decided to name them according to their Japanese numbers. Consequently, when Everyone in the US picked up Final Fantasy VII and played it to death, it dawned on them that somewhere along the way, FFIV - VI were missing (they were wrong of course - FFII, III and V were).

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To be Specific, you're having so much trouble because of the part the Internet played in the mid ninetees. FF fans who were "in the know" about the numbering system took action, and translated the games themselves. Many people were able to play through FFV before it was even released in the US, and some would argue that the Internet Translations were better than the American ones. Some proved the point by Translated the games that we already had (FF1, FF2, and FF3) all over again. Alledgedly, Relm from FF6 uses the word S***head. and shes 10.

What that means to you then, is that its very hard to find the FFs. The moral of the story is that, with 5 of the 6 Nintendo games now out on the PS1 (US and Europe inclusive), you have zero excuse for not buying them.