This cartoon is full of win

via AlbinoBlackSheep

Next month Valve plans to release the first Left 4 Dead 2 DLC campaign, "The Passing," on Xbox 360 and PC. The Passing will feature non-playable appearances by the original Left 4 Dead cast (shown in the background above), who will aid L4D2's four survivors during the third act of the new campaign, which is set in rural Georgia.

The Passing takes place right after Left 4 Dead 2's "Dead Center" campaign and before "Dark Carnival." The sweet race car that was snagged at the end of Dead Center has hit a snag, so the three chapters that follow entail getting that machine past a tough series of obstacles.

Not one to leave holes in a good story, Valve will explain the original survivors' frantic journey to Georgia by way of a new DLC add-on for Left 4 Dead 1 (not compatible with L4D2). No additional details were provided about the L4D1 DLC by Valve at Microsoft's recent X10 event, but it will follow the release of The Passing campaign and a digital comic (illustrated by Michael Avon Oeming) that will tie together the two DLC stories.

Valve have also confirmed that The Passing will include new arenas for Survival, Versus and Scavenge modes, and a new co-op challenge mode. Players will also encounter a new "uncommon common" infected, dubbed the Fallen Survivor, which can drop random items such as medkits and molotovs when killed.  There will also be two new weapons, an M60 machine gun (akin to the grenade launcher, it does a lot of damage but the ammo cannot be replenished) and a glof club melee weapon.

The Passing is currently on track for a "late March" release with the L4D1 DLC following sometime in April..

Valve announced the first downloadable content (DLC) for Left 4 Dead 2, is in development and targeted for release in early 2010.

Dubbed “The Passing,” the first game add-on for L4D2 brings the original Left 4 Dead (L4D1) Survivors down south for a meeting with the L4D2 cast, while delivering new single-player, multiplayer and co-operative gameplay for the PC and Xbox 360.

Targeted for release in early spring, “The Passing” takes place just after the Dead Center campaign of L4D2. Set in a small town in rural Georgia, players assume the role of the L4D2 Survivors as they meet with the L4D1 characters.

In addition to the new co-operative campaign and associated narrative, “The Passing” will include new arenas for Survival, Versus and Scavenge mode and introduce a new co-operative challenge mode of play. The Passing will also include a new “uncommon common” zombie class, melee weapon, and firearm.

“The Passing will become the most important campaign in the Left 4 Dead story, as all the Survivors are being called together in one campaign,” said Doug Lombardi, VP of marketing at Valve. “It will also be a huge offering of new gameplay content, with something new for every game mode plus a new uncommon common and weaponry.”

Exclusively available for the Xbox 360 and PC, L4D2 sets a new benchmark for co-operative action games. The title adds melee combat to enable deeper co-operative gameplay, with items such as a chainsaws, frying pans, axes, baseball bats, and more.

With the AI Director 2.0, L4D’s dynamic gameplay is taken to the next level by giving the Director the ability to procedurally change weather effects, world objects, and pathways in addition to tailoring the enemy population, effects, and sounds to match the players’ performance. The result is a unique game session custom fitted to provide a satisfying and uniquely challenging experience each time the game is played.

Finally, with new Survivors, boss zombies, weapons, and items, Left 4 Dead 2 offers a much larger game than the original, featuring more co-operative campaigns, more Versus campaigns, new Survival maps, and the new competitive game mode, Scavenge.

Left 4 Dead 2: The Passing is targeted for release in early spring for the PC and Xbox 360. Pricing will be announced closer to launch.