I personally think that it's more like... The rest of the series is underrated. Final Fantasy VII is only overrated because every other installment in the series is just as good as everyone makes this one out to be.

What I've noticed is many people who claim to love this game and hate the rest of the series didn't even understand this game to begin with, they're just jumping on the bandwagon of everyone else saying how great Final Fantasy VII is. I constantly hear people rave about how this game is the BEST MOFO GAME EVAR!!! And all they got out of the story was "Cloud has a big sword, and he fights Sephiroth". Sometimes I get the impression that a lot of people that say they love this game are just repeating what someone else said.

Just so you all know, I am a huge fan of this game. I love everything about it and I think it's basically a flawless gem in gaming, a monument to RPGs and video games alike. But I'm going to have to agree, it's overrated in comparison to the rest of the series. It's no better than it's predecessors or successors.