I think FFVII got a lot of attention and superlatives in the media for being the first of its kind, this does not mean, however, that it is the best of its kind.
I feel that both FFIX and FFX were both better games in all areas than FFVII, but they got none of that "first off the line" attention that the first 3D installment did.
I like FFVII, but as an avid RPG player both on consoles, PC and pen & paper, I must say that I've encountered many RPG's that are easily better in almost all respects.
Edit: Check out the zounds of solid and awesome RPG titles that were available for PC by the time FFVII arrived to see why PC fans like myself were not overly intrigued or extremely impressed. The PC was, and still is imo, the best RPG platform. There's just so much good stuff to played, especially if you don't mind retro gaming a bit!
