Is it the same game?There are lines drawn in the sand, people clearly coming down on the side of their favorite game or new favorite game.Such an incident happened with Halo and Shadow Run years ago and with Halo and Gears of War more recently. So the comparison of Left 4 Dead to Resident Evil and now both of them with Dead Island and are just a natural leaps.While the good folk at Deep Silver, the publishers for Dead Island, weren’t able to get us a review copy, I was able to secure one via the Red Box and sat down to give it a spin.

I sat down with the same questions in my own head.Would be as good as Left 4 Dead? Would I love it or hate it? Will there be frying pans to beat the hell out of Zombies with?Well I’ve not come across any frying pans and yes there are great similarities to Dead Island and its predecessors but I do believe Deep Silver has taken a thoroughly re-hashed idea and done something completely new. Yes, there are zombies, but that is where the major similarities between it and Left 4 Dead and even Resident Evil end.

Firstly we want to establish that this is not review in the traditional sense.Void where prohibited, offer not available in Canada and the South pole.Now that we’ve gotten that pesky disclaimer out of the way, I’ll get right to it.

Left 4 Dead is a sort of parody on Zombie movies and shows, paying homage to the all movies (and even games) that have come before it.The action is fast, furious and most certainly deadly.If you’ve never played Left 4 Dead and have a heart condition, I advise against it.It’s a constant adrenaline rush and the rush is addicting as many gamers can attest to.I’ve been in a multiplayer session many times and have heard team mates say they are going to bed for the night, only to stay another hour or two.Also, other than you know there was some sort of viral contagion, Left 4 Dead never really explains to you what happened or why.Just RUN!

Resident Evil is a whole different animal altogether.Everyone knows the story; That evil Umbrella Corporation causes the zombie outbreak that spreads through Raccoon City like wildfire and you’re the cavalry come to save the day.You are given extensive background as to what’s happened and the fire power to get the job done.You even have special keys to open all the weapon caches and the ability to create your own healing herbs.But resident evil can be a bit slow on the action and of course it’s a bit unrealistic in terms of the survival rate of other people.You rarely see anyone else that’s survived, as is the same with Left 4 Dead.

So what exactly has Dead Island done right?They added a layer of realism not present in the other games.There are very few guns and you are sure to cherish every weapon you find as they tend to break without a steady regime of repair.There are in fact other survivors and it has just the right amount of action to keep you on your toes.It included Zombies of all types, from the slow dragging ones to the fast moving crazy screaming ones.There is explanation as to what happened that you find out along the way (we don’t want to give away any spoilers so we won’t say what happened).Add in the addition of vehicles, that also take damage and that the AI in Dead Island is hands down way better than its predecessors, and you’ve got something that can stand in its on right without encroaching on the others in its genre.I personally was very impressed to see that the zombies do fight back and not just by biting. I’ve had them shove me, stomp me and all manner of things.They look for you when you run to hide and if they see where you’ve hidden, they come to get you.Sometimes stealth is the best way to get through a situation, yes, simply being quiet and taking your time can help you avoid attack.While Left Dead is fast and furious, and Resident Evil is rather slow and methodic (this doesn’t make it not good by the way), Dead Island falls somewhere in the middle and is rather refreshing.It definitely forces you to think and react the way you probably would if you were really in such a situation.

So which one should you play? Play them all, one thing I all found they had in common was that I was screaming and running and having a hell of a lot of fun.And this wasn’t even during the multiplayer!

Now if only we could get someone like the makers of Oblivion to tackle the world of Zombies, we’d be in heaven.