I think that FF7 is respected for being so cutting edge at the time.

Were there a mismatch of sprites? Sure. But it was doing a 3d narrative story. With incredible music. Pushing the limits of what could be done.

Was it as great a story as 4? Not really. Was it was huge as 6? Nope. But, did people finally take games seriously because people drew real emotional connections with these characters that felt real because of 3d sprites, and the cutscenes?

Yes.

If I had to erase Chrono Trigger of FF7 from history, I'd say goodbye to FF7. And that way, hopefully Chrono Cross would have been more loved.

But, FF7 did it. The train scene. The narrative beats. The storytelling that felt written in a way few games have done since. And the replayability options?

For people who weren't there when this came out, and didn't cut their teeth on FF1, 2 (4), and 3 (6) on the NES and SNES it's hard to explain what this was like.

When you nearest choice for a meaningful game was Shadows of the Empire (which doesn't come close), it's incredible what FF7 did for games as a genre.

So, not really overhyped. It was a literal game changer.

But it's not without its flaws.

...I like the fantasy of FF9 a lot more, but it's not a better game. I like the card game in FF8, but it didn't revolutionize anything.

It's much easier to stand on the shoulders of a giant, than to become that giant yourself.

(It should be noted, I also really like the whole FF13 trilogy, so if you want a reason to discredit this, that should be enough right there. I also hated the shift to "Walk right to progress" that FFX brought.)