I would say depends on your preferences
By today’s standards, old 7 gameplay, graphics and story will seem dated.
I am unable to play the newer ones, but from what little I have seen it seems to “feel” better when you see and know characters from the original.
I have played and finished old ff7 and if you don’t mind reading everything, some grinding unless you are going to for the secret stuff ( which is heavy grinding) it should be a “smooth” experience once you get to grips with the game systems, graphics and gameplay - and yeah, It can feel difficult in the old one to get into but I found the payoffs were engaging, had moments of emotional resonance and generally felt satisfied by the end - but that is because I allowed myself to be engaged with the game world.
That is all up to personal taste, as I know there are games that have had a stronger effect on me, but I also understand why FF 7 is rated the way it is.
I have only played the first chapter - old (out of 3, I believe)
Was also a very engaging game, had a very coming of age theme to it with a combat system that seemed simple but starts to show its depth once abilities get unlocked and you start to chain it.
I liked how the relationships felt more grounded and the story’s build up had, for me, more intrigue and mystery than most jrpgs
Only complaint, more like criticism, is it is a nightmare for people that feel the need to complete everything or realise that the npcs have different dialogues over time and feel compelled to make sure that everything is done before moving on. That can be a positive or negative depending on player though.
Despite the criticism, it did feel good to know I deserved and worked for the ending I got, even though I found out after I missed a few things