I suppose if you play it on Easy the gameplay sections can be pretty boring, I played it on Master and you really do have to use the environment if you want to survive. The primary difference for me between this and COD games is that each section has a limited number of enemies and you can plan around them.

Still you're right that the story is pretty generic and most of the characters are forgettable, but I really did like the main protagonists. I found BT to be charming and memorable, I laughed a few times at his comments and when he was in danger I genuinely was worried about him and wanted to save him etc. There's a big difference between making a funny character and a character who just makes jokes, BT is the former, someone who's comedy comes from his character rather than just him making bland quips.

As for multiplayer, I enjoy it, but not as much as Titanfall 1. I don't play it more than a couple of hours a week though so I'm probably not the best person to discuss balance and design issues. I don't think it will ever equal UT4 though, I haven't played Unreal Tournament in a long time and it was an arena shooter that required very different skills and had a completely different pace.