I think disdain for VII is a bit like disdain for Apple products. When something is mega popular, there are always people who want to be different and shun the mainstream, even if they don't have a reason.

I can give some reasons why I think VII holds up as one of the series best.

The characters are very well developed. Every major character has an extensive backstory, with the game jumping back into the past many times to build its history. The death of Aeris/th had such a great impact because the game earned it by making us care.

She had a great personality and we had been through so much together. She helped us, we helped her, at one point we lost her and had to risk everything to get her back from Shinra in a huge dangerous mission. And then suddenly, after all we had been through, she was gone and never coming back.

It deals with timeless themes like love, life and death. It deals with topics that are still very relevant today like corrupt government and pollution (mako energy literally killing the planet). The story is backed up by an incredible emotional soundtrack, perhaps Uematsu's best work.

A common complaint from detractors is that Cloud is emo or whiney. He had reasons to feel that way after emerging from a mad scientist's lab with mako poisoning and scrambled memories, unable to determine the truth of his own past, all while his enemy has a mysterious power over him which renders him a puppet.

There's a reason why people still talk about VII and why it's getting a ridiculous mega-budget remake. It's ok to celebrate as a brilliant piece of art.