It was overrated, and yet....
It's biggest flaw is a lot, and I mean a lot, of sequences that can only be described as boring. Even the first time through. There are also sequences that aren't exactly hard, but are far too time consuming for what you get out of it story wise. There is one in particular that pretty well any first timer to FFVII will get frustrated with. Some gamers may simply find it challenging, but I found it tedious.
That aside, the story is a quite immersive one. There are better stories in Final Fantasy, but there are also worse ones. I consider FFVII to be at about the half way mark. I has good depth to all the characters, giving everyone a distinct personality.
The graphics were ground breaking. Final Fantasy VII effectively shocked the world with the first top notch CG scenes. Compared to today they would still be considered good. And that's not to say there was anything lacking from the in game graphics. They had less polygon counts than today by a significant amount, but it doesn't detract from the experience.
The sound track was great. It's not top notch for the series, but there isn't anything to complain about either.
I find myself reviewing Final Fantasy games in two ways. The first is on it's own merit, the second is against other Final Fantasy's. I therefore may seem a bit too critical of FFVII compared to the score I gave it. That's due to the fact that while it may not stack up to some other Final Fantasy games, it's still a top title and a must buy for anyone who likes RPG's. Especially Final Fantasy fans.