Half-Life 3 in the works; Next up – Half-Life 2: Episode 3

You can’t say “ground-breaking first person shooter” without mentioning the Half-Life series in the same breath. Since its initial release on the PC in 1998, the series has garnered overwhelming critical acclaim as well as commercial success. Crowbar-wielding Gordon Freeman fanboys have been frothing for Valve’s next concoction – Half-Life 2: Episode 3 – for over a year. When E3 came and went with nary a whisper about the next installment, it stung like a headcrab bite. Good news is—Episode 3 is still in the works. The bad news: Half-Life 3 is a few years off.

While it’s been known for a while that Valve is working on Half-Life 3 (slowly, no doubt, considering the source), the lack of solid information on their Half-Life 2 swansong has been disconcerting. Fans have long-speculated what fate awaits Gordon Freeman as he struggles to free mankind from the grasp of the alien Combine once and for all. Recent artwork (seen below) depicting a face-to-slobbering-face showdown between the bespectacled hero and a menacing Adviser (the telekinetic masterminds of Earth’s invasion) got people talking, as did the various crossover possibilities cryptically alluded to in Episode 2 and Portal.

Considering Valve’s slow-natured approach to development and the fact that all they had to show off during E3 were a few beautiful, yet vague art pieces, don’t expect Half-Life 2: Episode 3 this year. However, if their past work is any indication, Episode 3 will be a mind-blowing experience that no one should miss, no matter the wait.