"Dead Island will feature open world gameplay, played from a first person perspective, with up to four-player co-operative play. The focus will be on melee combat, incorporating customizable weaponry and RPG elements.
There is an experience system and a skill tree system. There is also a stamina bar, meaning that after a set amount of action with a weapon, the character will need to stop to regain their stamina before continuing to attack. It has also been confirmed that there are "special class" zombies, which are more powerful than the standard enemies."
I love melee'ing in L4D2, and I love RPG elements. Sounds like a POTENTIALLY good combination. Let's hope they put it together well!