i really dont care how long they take to get half life 3 done, Every single half life game to me was a breakthrough in the industry. The engine for half life 2 when it came out was just completely unbelievable.
I dont blame them for taking long now, with so many competitors out there making so many great game engines they would want to release the game when they have made a real breakthrough. Cant really comment on left for dead (never played it much) but portal was also a really great idea when it first came out, i hadnt seen much like it till that point. It wasnt a break through in terms of game engine but was a really interesting game.
Thats just my personal experience with valve games anyway.
