During the most recent episode of GameTrailers TV, Valve's Chet Faliszek announced  that the new Left 4 Dead DLC named 'The Sacrifice' is incoming. From the looks of things, could likely give the franchise a much-needed kick in the rear and get people playing again.

You may remember that the most recent DLC for Left 4 Dead 2, 'The Passing', saw you and your Left 4 Dead 2 buddies cross paths with the survivors of the first game.  Unfortunately the original crew were one survivor short.

The Sacrifice will put players back in the shoes of the original survivors, and will depict the events immediately preceding those of The Passing. Only this time the way you play will determine which team member has their brains eaten.

What is interesting to me is that this DLC is for both Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2, meaning that the infinitesimally small percentage of you who own the sequel but not the original will finally be able to play as the original - and in my opinion the best - group of survivors for the first time. But wait, there is more: In a surprise move, the Left 4 Dead 2 version of "The Sacrifice" DLC will also include "No Mercy" from the original game - by far the best scenario in either of the Left 4 Dead games.

I know what you're thinking, because I was thinking the same thing: Does that mean we finally get to play with the original survivors and wield melee weapons?  Unfortunately Chet did not address that specifically in the interview, but the video footage playing in the background certainly inferred that to be the case (at the 18:07 mark and again at 19:22) - the video is linked below.

Looking at the footage, I think Valve is about to make amends for the effrontery I took Left 4 Dead 2 to be.  It looks as though they are giving us the original - and best - zombie survivors, for use in any Left 4 Dead 2 scenario, and on top of that ported the best Left 4 Dead scenario into the sequel for us to enjoy all over again.

This is exactly what I want. What about you Ranters out there? Is this the crotch-kicking magic-injection that will make you reach for the Left 4 Dead 2 disc again?

The Sacrifice will be released in October 2010 for the PC, Mac and Xbox 360. No prices have been announced at this time, though the PC/Mac version is likely to be free.

Source: GameTrailers