Hearing about another Valve project so soon after Portal 2 seemed unlikely, but when it comes to Half-Life: Episode 3 (or whatever it's called), hope springs eternal. Unfortunately, Valve has tossed some cold water on any substantial showing at E3 next month, telling the press it's not showing anything.

"We are not showing any titles at this year's show," said the company.

Okay, sure, technically, it doesn't rule out some surprise at one of the big press conferences. Valve debuted Left 4 Dead 2's trailer at Microsoft's event and Gabe Newell appeared on stage with Sony last year, promising the PlayStation 3 version of Portal 2 would be the best console version of the game.

But like the G-Man, hope springs eternal. Just temper your expectations.