Ahh the cutting room floor how I love thee as that site is awesome for the lost nuggets of gaming info.

I find it funny asking about the possibility of FF watered down on the NES being possible. If I had been around today I would have popped those links to Mighty Final Fight and that HK pirate of Final Fight 3. For what they are, both are good solid games in their own right, and personally I love playing Mighty Final Fight and though I own the SNES original I can't play it knowing I have the NES game. It may look cute, but no one is cut out, even the girls. That FF3 pirate for the Famicom/NES is on my short list of pirates along with one other fighter which is Samurai Spirits.