Left 4 Dead's new DLC, 'The Sacrifice,' launched today, and in a move that's as much awesome as it is likely to cause some Xbox RAGE, Valve is selling both titles on Steam for a deep discount. The Mac version of Left 4 Dead 2 went live today as well, for the same ultra-low price.

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Valve is hoping to release the original Left 4 Dead on Mac "in time to celebrate Halloween," the developer revealed yesterday.

There's also a formal announcement that Left 4 Dead 2's Mac launch will coincide with the arrival of the L4D and L4D2 DLC 'The Sacrifice' on October 5--as has been known for a while. Read more »

The latest downloadable content for Left 4 Dead 2 (and presumably last for the original) is set to launch next week. "The Sacrifice" DLC follows the original Left 4 Dead cast as they journey South, losing one of their own team members along the way. While there is one real conclusion to the story, as evidenced in the previous DLC "The Passing," players will have the opportunity to re-write history and select which team member will fall in "The Sacrifice." It won't change the franchise's canon, but it'll make you look totally badass. Read more »

Valve has confirmed that 'The Sacrifice', DLC for both Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2, will be released on October 5 for the PC and Xbox 360. It will be free for both games on the PC, while the Xbox 360 DLC will cost 560 MS Points ($7).

"'The Sacrifice' is the prequel to 'The Passing,' and takes place from the L4D Survivors' perspective as they make their way South," reads the press release. "In addition to advancing the story, 'The Sacrifice' introduces a new style finale featuring "Sacrificial Gameplay" where players get to decide who will give their life so the others may live." Read more »

The original Left 4 Dead crew are about to make a big sacrifice, and the long promised prequel comic that delves into the past of the zombie killing squad is launching very soon.

To prep for the October 5 release of The Sacrifice downloadable content for both the original Left 4 Dead and its sequel, Valve is releasing a hefty 150-plus page comic detailing the original cast's backstory and the events leading to one of the team's death. The first part of the four part series hits the web on September 14 (that's tomorrow!). Read more »

[Update: 08.22.2010] Valve has reportedly told PC Gamer that "The Sacrifice" will launch on October 5. The PC and Mac version will launch for free while the Xbox 360 version will cost 560MS Points ($7). According to PC Gamer, the Mac version will launch on October 5. Shacknews has contacted Valve to confirm the Xbox 360 version of the DLC will release alongside the PC and Mac.

[Original: 08.21.2010] Last night on GameTrailers TV, Valve's Chet Faliszek revealed info on upcoming downloadable content for those still waging war on the zombie threat. Read more »

With a dozen Left 4 Dead 2 "Mutations" released in as many weeks, Valve has collected a detailed breakdown of the modes developed to tweak the zombie-infested title's gameplay.

According to Valve, the most popular Mutation has been Realism Versus. The mode, which is now a permanent fixture in the game, captured the attention of 41% of all players the week it was initially released, making up for 22% of the each player's minutes when it launched. As a comparison, Survival Versus was only played by 25% of players for a total of 4% of their time with the game the week it was released. Read more »

Today is the last day in the, "Please! My wallet is begging you to stop" sale on Steam (otherwise known as the Perils of Summer sale).As expected, the final leg of the promotion rehash some of the best deals seen throughout the week. Highlights include Borderlands for $10.19 Left 4 Dead 2 for $10.16 and ARMA II for $19.99.

Steam Sale - July 4, 2010
• Just Cause 2 - $24.99 (50% off from $49.99) Read more »

The Left 4 Dead 2 mutation for owners of "The Passing" DLC for the next week is "Headshot!". In this mode, only headshots and decapitations will drop enemy zombies.

"Shoot them in the arm, shoot them in the leg, shoot them in the chest - it just doesn't matter! The only way these zombies are going down is with a head shot. Other hits will stumble them back, but only a head shot or decapitation will kill them." This mutation is available for the campaign. Read more »

Prima, longtime provider of video game strategy guides, will now be offering digital guides through Steam. Using the Steam overlay, guides can also be accessed within a game. The digital guides also include videos, which are obviously not available in print.

Regularly priced at $19.99, all guides are 50% off to celebrate the launch. Currently, guides are available for: Read more »

Our "Show Us Your Left 4 Dead Art Contest and Giveaway" has come to a close--the votes tallied, the commenters randomly chosen--and now it's time to announce the winners.

Simply narrowing the one hundred twenty eight images we received--located here and here--into twenty finalists was a tough task. The votes submitted by our panel of judged reflected how difficult it was to pick the five winners out of those twenty finalists--in fact, we had to call in additional "tie-breaker" judge. Read more »

The next mutation for Left 4 Dead 2 has gone into effect and will last until next Friday. This week, players can play "Last Gnome On Earth", which is playable in campaign mode. It requires the gnome to be carried from start to finish in order to win.

Be careful, though. Whoever is carrying the gnome will be swarmed by common infected as they "hate the gnome". Read more »

[Update - 11:40am CST on May 18] With the day upon us, we've announced the winners.

[Update - 12:15pm CST on May 11] Submissions for the art contest are now closed, but you still have until 11:59pm EST / 10:59pm on May 17, 2010 to leave a comment below for a chance to randomly win some other Left 4 Dead swag. Read more »

On Monday, Valve began polling Left 4 Dead 2 gamers if they would like to see the recent multiplayer mutation "Realism Versus" become a permanent gameplay mode.

The results are in and nearly 500,000 voting gamers have ruled in favor of Realism Versus becoming a regular multiplayer mode in L4D2! Democracy rocks! Read more »

The new weekly mutations for Left 4 Dead 2 are changing up the game in some creative ways. Through this framework, Valve can push live weekly gametypes that do not require additional assets to play, but change up the game in significant ways.

This week, players can try out "Bleed Out": Read more »