I sometimes feel like the only person who enjoyed the vehicle segments. Seeing the scenery whiz by on the airboat for the first time was fantastic, stopping for supplies at each station had a great tension to it (especially since they'd just introduced the zombies), and then of course the helicopter chase (and eventual fight) was spectacular in its day.
It was a wonderful change of pace with very few blemishes at all (although the barrel puzzle gets a bit dull when you replay it too many times).
Same goes for the buggy sections, really. Having fought through the claustrophobic streets of Ravenholme, you were rewarded with this excellent sense of freedom as you tore down the highways and various bits of countryside. Alongside that, you finally got to take down those flying gunships, you mastered the art of sniping people with the crossbow, and...I believe those segments introduced those awesome antlion swarms (only to empower you later by allowing you to lead them into battle). The buggy segements were some of my favourite in the game, come to think of it.
As for the rest...hm, it didn't have the deepest gunplay and maybe it could have done with better AI...but the game's presentation of details, gameplay mechanics, the world and everything in it, the pacing, the variety in your objectives, the way it was all designed...was masterful - and that's not even taking into account what a spectacular technical achievement it was (in graphics, physics and facial animations especially).
So, no, I wouldn't call it overrated. I'd dare call it a masterpiece of immersive design.
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