Worked on in secret since 1999, Valve formally unveiled the sequel in 2003 to stunned fans everywhere, dropping the bombshell that not only was Half Life 2 real, but that the game would be released by the end of the year. Of course it was never to be, and after four years in development the game was delayed in the fall of 2003 - around the same time it was supposed to release, no less. Following a source code leak which many people attributed to the decision, Valved pushed the game to a vague Christmas window before going even further and officially delaying Half Life 2 another year to give the production more time to finish perfecting the experience. Years later, Gabe Newell admitted that the leak wasn't actually the cause for the delay, but that the development team simply set themselves unrealistic deadlines and goals at the time for what they wanted to create, resulting in the infamous gut-punch last minute delay that left so many wondering whether they'd ever get their hands on Half Life 2 at all. Which of these games are you most thankful made it out alive, or would you have preferred they take more time to perfect anything about them? Let us know in the comments!
