I definitely think it would have had better reception if it was released after FFIV (II) in the US. When I first played it myself I wasn't that into it because it was right around the time I was playing FFVII and IX. At that point the series had evolved and I couldn't go back to the old style, since FFV didn't have that nostalgic place in my heart FFIV and VI had. But when I played again a few years later I realized what an epic game this was and what a great adaptation of the job system it was for that time period. So if it came out earlier I'm sure I would have loved it any more.