Can you believe that it’s been eight years since the release of the last Half-Life title? That being Episode Two, of course – one that was meant to preface a third and final installment of Half-Life 2. Sometimes, when I’m a bit slack on work, I remind myself, “At least I didn’t fail to deliver the final piece of a major game series.”
As time passed, and it became evident that Episode Three was never going to see the light of day, attentions turned to the possibility of Half-Life 3. If that ever does become a reality, it’s likely to replace Episode Three‘s story but become a full-fledged game – at least, we’d hope. But as Steam user Hornke clued us into this past summer, we might be waiting a while:
Nonetheless, the world wants a Half-Life 3. In fact, it demands it. Since the release of Episode Two, we’ve seen Portal become its own incredible series and Team Fortress 2 become something far greater than I would have ever expected. It’s time, then, for there to be a new installment in the Half-Life series, something Naughty Dog’s Creative Director Neil Druckmann agrees with:
I have little doubt that Naughty Dog would be able to pull off such a major project well. In its time, it’s created some incredible game series, such as Crash Bandicoot, Uncharted, and Jak and Daxter. It was also responsible for the PlayStation 3 hit The Last Of Us.
Despite all that, there’s only one right developer to head up a project like this. Given just how long it’s been since Episode Two‘s release, it could almost be considered rude that Valve has kept mum on the lack of an update. Remember, Episode Three wasn’t just expected, it was promised. We all love to make fun of the Duke Nukem Forever debacle, but Half-Life is no less guilty.
Looking back at my look at Episode Two, I can’t help but find some humor in how I wrapped it up: “After clearing Episode Two, an obvious question arises. When will we see Episode Three?”
Oy.