Bearadactyl

They're both cooperative zombie adventures; they may be two different games, but it's foolhardy to ignore the similarities.

Right down to the combat there are similarities, which is where I prefer Dead Island the most. That, and the story of the first game was actually not all that bad until you get to Riptide which should never have happened.

Left 4 Dead is one of the worst games I have ever played, even its sequel.

The amount of praise Left 4 Dead gets as a series dumbfounds me, because both games in the series are so incredibly barebones and unimpressive.

I feel like many people praise them as part of their Valve Circle Jerk.

I think it's the simplicity to L4D that gets people. There's no crafting, stamina/hunger meters, or inventory that makes people like it. The game is easy enough for my dad to play it, yet hard enough for people to play it competitively. There no fetch quests, and feels more like a survival game than most other zombie games. Plus, you can mod the hell out of it.