Besides, when you rush things like this, you end up with a Duke Nukem Forever.
I seriously don't understand what could possibly be taking them this long. Remember, from what I've seen, it isn't even Half Life 3 yet. They're still working on Half Life 2: Episode 3. It's been six years. It only took them 2 years after HL 2 to make Episode 1 and one more year to make Episode 2. I know I'm beating a dead horse, but after finally playing through the released games recently, it baffles me that it's taken so long with no confirmed progress.
^^Really? Honestly, I figured that, given the criticisms leveled at it, the main problems stemmed from design decisions that Gearbox likely had next-to-no involvement with.
I don't know how one can exactly rush what was essentially a cap-off job. I'm not exactly defending DNF here, but to call it incomplete is maybe a bit inaccurate. They had a plotline they could work with. I don't think the final product was a Missing Information-style compilation of random levels and things.
^Well, Episode 3 is being called the third game at this point, I think. It's probably taking longer because it's very possible that Valve is making a new engine to use.
Have you played DNF? Its definitely an incomplete game. As you're playing it, you can see the fun. Its there. Its a perceptible thing. Its just, there's no way to quite reach it. Its like there's a small chasm or a glass wall separating you from the fun even though you know its there. At least, that the impression I got. It gels with the information we received about the game as well. It being a cap-off job is exactly why I say it was rushed. The game needed work it just didn't get. What it didn't get from 3D Realms, it should have gotten from Gearbox, but it didn't. Gearbox really didn't actually do much to the game. Though this is becoming too much of a tangent at this point.
Haven't they gone on record saying that there isn't going to be an episode three at this point? I'm pretty sure I remember reading that they abandoned the "episodic" format and will just make the next title the full third installment instead. So yeah, there's not going to be a Half Life 2 Episode 3. Just a Half Life 3.
There's also the fact that Valve apparently lets its people work on what they want to, when they want to. So they produce what games they do at their own pace and whatnot. I mean, Valve are still making games. They just haven't gone back to Half Life just yet. Possibly to take advantage of a new Source engine. I can only imagine how crazy that's going to be when/if it comes out.
edited 23rd Aug '13 3:41:57 AM by Zeromaeus
Could be they've given up on the entire series, cause they no longer see the point of making a game that isn't online.
That damn Steam workshop, its ruined it for everyone.
edited 23rd Aug '13 5:41:56 AM by mr.naziface
No, I mean Steam Workshop, the feature that runs through TF 2, Dota 2, Portal 2, Left 4 Dead 2 and CS:GO, whereby VALVE are able to act as middlemen between modders and gamers, and macharge money for hats, skins and taunts.

Besides, Valve is working on Left 4 Dead 3 right now.
Anyone who assigns themselves loads of character tropes is someone to be worried about.