E3 2016: 10 Returning Video Game Franchises You Woudn't See Coming

1. Half-Life

It seems like yesterday that everyone was losing their minds over the powerhouse that was Half-Life 2. It took the gaming industry by storm and made significant advancements in merging organic storytelling with a state of the art graphics engine. But that was 12 years ago, and after two great expansions, the franchise inexplicably fell comatose and has been ever since.

So much time has passed since fans were left hanging on that heart-wrenching cliffhanger that most have given up hope of ever seeing another major release in the Half-Life franchise. As each year passes by it feels more like Valve has completely forgotten the series that propelled them to success. With so much time and emotion attached to one hypothetical game, it is frankly impossible to imagine the magnitude of the reaction the gaming industry would have if Valve actually came out and formally announced Half-Life 3.

This is a franchise whose return is so desired it would feel like a gift from the gaming gods. It would be the major headline on every gaming news outline and beyond. The buzz would be incredible, especially if it represented the same leap in technology and storytelling as the last one. Everybody wants it, which only makes Valve's inaction all the more perplexing. Nobody really knows if Half-Life will ever return, but should the day ever come, it will be one of the biggest video game comebacks of all time.