Indeed. The article claims that flat 3D planes implemented using mode 7 are merely "fake 3D". But the result looks exactly like a single texture mapped polygon,

Indeed. The article claims that flat 3D planes implemented using mode 7 are merely "fake 3D". But the result looks exactly like a single texture mapped polygon, except that the "camera" only allows changes in yaw and pitch, not in roll. But that's just a limitation of the 3D situations the mode 7 system can render, it doesn't say that what it _can_ render is more fake somehow. In the end, every 3D rendering approach manipulates just a 2D pixel grid on a screen to create the illusion of looking at virtual objects.