This argument is as convoluted as FFVII's storyline. The game had it's flaws, but it was one of the first JRPGs to be a breakthrough hit in the West. FFVII opened the flood gates for future JRPGs to reach the US and other countries. Check out an article that explains it much more detail: Masterpiece: Final Fantasy VII | Ars Technica

I hereby confiscate all your Hateraide. >_<