I think the back half of TLOU is def. faster paced, more action, better overall.  I thought the entire game was great, and sorry to hear OP is not enjoying it.  It's definitely not for everyone.

Also, I think GTAV overall is the better game.  It's just really fun, crazy, over the top.  Some of the assassination missions are just brutal.  Great way to blow off steam. Scope is rediculous.  TLOU is definitely the best exclusive though.

I thought it was pretty good,but not flawless. I thought the first half was more intense and great,then it kind of slides alittle bit,but overall is was a great game.

You should have played on Hard. Completely different experience. Actually, that game is meant to be played on Survivor, trying to heal yourself the least possible.

One thing I wish Naughty Dog left out of the game is the listen mode. When I first played the game I had it set to hard, but had listen mode enabled (at the time I didn't know that it could be toggled off). It wasn't until I played on survivor (where listen mode is disabled) that I realized how much it affected gameplay.

My advice to anyone playing the game for the first time is to switch it off, because knowing where enemies are on the field takes away from the spontaneity of the combat.

its just not as good as people say, its filled with errors and glitches and the storyline is cliche to the max, however the second half is better and more enjoyable, its 7/10 , I still think Uncharted 2 is the best game ND did for PS3, U3 is the worst.

It's all good. Everybody's got different tastes.

It does pick up a bit, you know the occasional twist here and there, some close calls. If you haven't fallen in love with it yet, i don't think the other 50% will make it happen. If you like it so far, you will then probably enjoy it all the way through. Wait until you get to the winter section of the game. Not spoiling anything, but it does get very intense and hectic at times.

I'm not sure why you think the characters are unlikable. At the very least, ellie is spunky enough to put a grin on your face every now and again and Joel is not your typical, do-gooder hero. He is all sorts of fucked up but tries to stay morally in line.

The gameplay of the game is rather sluggish compared to other 3rd person games, but I'm guessing it was done that way so people wouldn't compare it to the fast-paced gameplay of uncharted. TLoU is a little more "realistic" in the sense that Joel has some miles on him and he's no superhero either.

I think it will pick up for ya a bit and you will certainly enjoy it all the way through if you like it so far. The game isn't for everyone but I think it's a step up for story-driven games like TWD.

Despite the people attacking you in this thread - it is perfectly okay for you to have your own tastes and not like everything that others like. I played some of this game to give it a shot and just could not get into it, much like the uncharted games (yes all three) and a lot of other 'cinematic' games from this last generation. Read up on the story and it was pretty cool - just didn't want to play through the game itself as it quickly (within an hour) started to feel like a chore.

very good game, it made me tear up three times. Though the ending had meh gameplay

Nobody can hate TLOU that's impossible ;) But what i don't understand is how can you hate the characters!? O.o now that's really impossible! It get's better later on don't worry but since you hate the characters(LOL) i don't think there's hope for you to like this game,but maybe they will grow on you because trust me man this game is special. Maybe the pacing is not working for you? if you're more of a uncharted/gears of war guy.

And again, unlikable characters?? really!?

Its a great survival game is all I know, so do you like survival games?? If yes I don't know why you aren't enjoying it... if no I don't know why you are playing it...