Hobbies And Interests
"Parish"
In the "Parish" level, the four survivors must fight their way through a small Louisiana town to reach the safety of a U.S. Army extraction point. At the beginning of the level, as players make their way from a boat dock into the city, they will pass a sign that gives the name of the town as Bienville. Bienville Parish is famously known as the place where the notorious outlaws Bonnie and Clyde were killed by law enforcement officials. As players progress through the level, they will see signs and notices of how the Civil Emergency and Defense Agency -- CEDA -- has failed to stop the spread of the zombie virus. This is a reference to how the Federal Emergency Management Agency -- FEMA -- failed in its response to the hurricane Katrina disaster, according to Left4Dead.org.
"The Passing"
In the downloadable level "The Passing," an Easter egg gives reference to the zombie apocalypse game "Dead Rising." During the second act of the level, players will find themselves in an old building with a room covered in graffiti that contains a staircase leading up. In this room, players will see a graffiti tag that reads, "Otis, ran out of film, helicopter not coming, zombies too fast, won't get out alive, Frank West." Frank West is the photojournalist protagonist from "Dead Rising" who was rescued from the shopping mall the game takes place in by helicopter. The speed of the zombies refers to how much faster the creatures are in the "Left 4 Dead" series than "Dead Rising," and Otis was the name of the mall's janitor.
"Hard Rain"
Early in the "Hard Rain" level, players will come across a jukebox in an old diner. Examining the jukebox, players will discover four playable tracks listed on the front of the jukebox and a fifth track highlighted in blue listed on the bottom right. By skipping past the first four tracks, players can listen to the mystery fifth track. The final song, "Still Alive," is the theme song from the video game "Portal," whose lead designer, Kim Swift, was also the level designer for "Left 4 Dead 2."
"The Sacrifice"
At the beginning of "The Sacrifice" level, players will come across a partially submerged fishing vessel called the Saint Lidia II. This is the same vessel that picked up the survivors from the original "Left 4 Dead" level "Death Toll." In the safe house that begins act three of "The Sacrifice," a drawing on the wall depicts a group of survivors who call themselves the "Angels of Death." This same drawing appears in the "Crash Course" level of "Left 4 Dead."