It was a kick-ass RPG and did have a few jaw-dropping moments for me. It was one of the few games to make me tear up, so I do feel its general reputation, on the aggregate, is well-earned.

From its dedicated fans, not so much. I don't know why they still, to this day, take it so personal that it's overshadowed by FFVII and it's impact on gaming. For whatever reason they nonetheless insist the game is better, or more important, than it actually is. I also personally enjoyed FFV more.

FFVI is a masterpiece but it's not Top 5 in the series. It's not even Top 5 for SNES RPGs.