Oprainfall write: “Final Fantasy II is, in many ways, one of the “black sheep” of the series. Originally released in Japan way back in 1988, Final Fantasy II never saw the light of day in the rest of the world in its original NES (Famicom) form. Instead, it screwed up Final Fantasy’s numbering system in the West, turning Japan’s Final Fantasy IV into the West’s Final Fantasy II, and Japan’s Final Fantasy VI into the West’s Final Fantasy III (As you can see, neither Japan’s Final Fantasies III nor V were released in the West either). In addition to causing huge amounts of numerical confusion, Final Fantasy II also departed in several important ways from the gameplay of its predecessor, as well as that of its successors. In an interesting coincidence, this makes Final Fantasy II one of a number of NES sequels that went on to become “black sheep,” such as Super Mario Bros. 2 and Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.” (Final Fantasy II: Anniversary Edition, PSP)
Go here to read the rest: Games of the Past: Final Fantasy II Anniversary Edition