If it was an RPG that was even close to contending for that title, I would acquiesce to it.

Except it is. And I don’t think the burden of proof is on the article writer, when culturally, it’s just accepted that it is either the greatest RPG, or one of the greatest RPGs. Maybe you didn’t like it, but that doesn’t invalidate the facts of how high people regard this game.

It’s not some damned marketing strategy. It’s sitting at 91 on MetaCritic (even after all of the backlash about ZA/UM), won Game of the Year for many many outlets, and any individual who has played it all the way through will either call it the greatest RPG they ever played, or one of the greatest RPGs.