for all of you that hate ff7...

[Nifleheim7]

The N64 had some brilliant games for it even without FFVII.

Agreed.

It didn't really have any decent RPGs for it which is probably the one respect in which FFVII being for the PlayStation hurt the N64.

Agreed again.

I think it'd be a bit unfair to suggest that FFVII was a reason for the N64's 'downfall.'

I said it was one of the reasons and of course we all know that there were other more important ones (cartridge vs compact disc).
But i still believe that it was something that really hurt the long time FF fan more than it actually hurt N64 itself.
Final fantasy wasn't so mainstream back then (except Japan of course) and it was secretly enjoyed by an "elite" few in North America (FFVII was the first FF release in Europe).This "elite" hated FFVII's success because they didn't want their precious series to be discovered by other fans.And especially by a 'new' generation of (PS) gamers who knew almost nothing about the history of the series.
As i said before,it will be the same today if the series moves from Sony to MS.The Sony fanboys will hate the game (and the new fanbase) even before they play it.