The speculated predacessor to Half Life 2: Episode 3.
Though Valve has confirmed that episode
three will be the last in the current story
arc, they have promised that the Half Life games will continue, most likley through the "episodic
medium" they are currently being delivered in.
**Speculation from the
next game being the actual anticipated HL3 can be justified by noting that the plot lines of Half Life 1 and 2 are different from one another, so in Valve's admission that the series will not
end at Episode 3, it can be inferred that the
next title will be HL3**
One thing certain about Half Life 3 is that it will be the continuation of the greatest game ever made, aside from portal, which is tied with half life for that title.
From an interview with Valve on www.stuffwelike.com/stuffwelike /
2007/12/12/half-life-3 -world-exclusive/
"TS-SWL: Are there any current plans after Episode 3 to have a Half Life 3?
DL: We haven’t announced
anything specific, but Half-Life won’t end at Episode Three – hang on to your crowbars!"