During my current work lull (it happens), I’ve been reviewing some of the great computer games I’ve played — kind of like watching a favorite movie again. It’s fun! My latest nostalgic journey is with the Half Life series, which got me to thinking: Where the hell is Half Life 3?

Like movies, video games have sequels. Like movies, the sequels can be excellent, mediocre, or bad.

The original game Half Life was outstanding. It was one of the first video games that involved first person shooter, puzzle-solving, and a complete and well-written plot line. That was considered an amazing feat back in 1998.

In 2004, the second Half Life appeared — and it was even better than the first. Not only were the graphics superior, but the game play, plot line, and game length were outstanding. It was just an awesome game!

VALVe, publishers of the Half Life series, as well as other popular video games including Portal, Left 4 Dead, and Team Fortress, promised that the third installment of Half Life would come as a three-part trilogy:

Half Life 2, Episode One was released in 2006.

Half Life 2, Episode Two was released in 2007.

Both episodes were good, shorter than Half Life 2, but they added some new features and gameplay. Basically, they whetted the gaming world’s appetite for a supposed Half Life 2, Episode Three to be released . . . soon.

It’s been seven years.

Oh we’ve been teased about Half Life 3 for a while: At first, VALVe promised that they would put more effort into Half Life 2, Episode Three and basically make it into Half Life 3. The teasing even extended into the video game universe itself: Half Life 2, Episode Two ended with a hell of a cliffhanger. Hints are dropped in both Episode Two and Episode Three regarding some type of arctic action.

If you played the game Portal 2, you found even more evidence of a reference to Half Life 3 — providing you were willing to explore the deep caves of Aperture Science — which itself continually references the Half Life scientists at rival Black Mesa.

That’s more teasing than I’ve had since trying to date in High School. Re-playing Half Life 2 is only agonizing me further.

From what I can gather from the InterWebs, two camps exist. The first keeps claiming that Half Life 3 is coming and it’s going to be really cool. The second has given up. I would argue that after 7 years — which is an eternity in the computer gaming world — Half Life 3 will never come. I understand why, but I refuse to accept it!