Again, linking me that one, repeat, one writer has returned isn't going to mean the return of HL to it's original pristine form. The story was never mind blowing, nothing needs to be mind blowing, but people need to stop excusing that it's somewhat fine to exclude original writers from their original project and then wanting said content to be 100% original, but with entirely new people added to the project, that were never there to begin with when the project started and was finished. 

Do you know if it was fully completed, voice script and everything else?, because I'm sure that would have been leaked and talked about years prior if that were true and even then, we'd see the exact same situation with Hollywood films and we rarely do get the entirety of film scrips and voice lines publicly viewable, especially for cancelled films.

One writer is never enough for an entire project like HL, even for films you need multiple writers and others within a project to make sure it all comes together and not in some muddled mess. You think it's objectively sound, but I don't, and history shows that one guy heading everything else alone isn't always a bright idea.

Erik is also writing for Psychonauts 2, so we'll see what happens when Valve announces he's definitely 100% now currently working on the announced HL3 episode, for sure, without a doubt.

Just because they aren't hiring more doesn't always mean it's sound. Again, if this doesn't live up to expectations or is given some magical free pass because it's HL, I will hold some of you to that sword.

The VR game itself could be, but a new HL episode will never live up to the originals. Those laying such a bold claim that they would are either blinded by rose tinted glasses, or simply in denial that the dream has truly been put to rest years ago.

I dunno about rebooting, that works so rarely in nearly every medium. Capcom more or less got some of it right with Remake 2, but at the same time I can see how they've driven away some dedicated fans who loved the originals and their style (which Capcom has done away with in favor of the obvious RE4 fans).

I just think that if we're tired of seeing remasters and reboots, we should want something new and unique, not L4D #10 a la Ubisoft style. I'd love to see Valve making all sorts of brand new games, rather than using the same old dusty and dated IP's on the same old and dated source engine. 

Half Life will never return to it's pristine form. Even if all the writers would be there, it doesn't would make the next game a 100% success. Too much time has passed already and we don't know what they've been doing for the last decade. Maybe they've finished writing a script for several episodes. Who knows? But I don't really care much about the writers. Be it the old team or a new one. They are currently 4 writers working at Valve btw.

A new team brings also new ideas to the table. And I will judge them the moment I got my hands on the game. I won't be the guy who says everything is bad because this and that guy is gone. What's the point in doing so?

Just stop painting everything black.

Yeah, and having one writer doesn't make them all the writers combined, if anything it makes it worse off for chances of it being better or on the same level as the originals, so why want for something that will only be mediocre, like a Disney direct to video movie over say the original theatrical movies?. 

Who knows?, Valve does and it's highly likely that they've moved on. Their philosophy states that they make games they want to make when they want to, not because a board of directors tells them to or that fans want spin-off or sequel after sequel churned out like it's going out of style. They do what they want to do. This is something people have seemingly forgotten about devs over time, when you're private and don't answer to anyone, you can do literally what you feel you want to do, and you know what?, that's fine and dandy, because that's their gig and philosophy. 

I know you don't care much for writing, but others out there do, and writing is actually important whether anyone here disagrees or not. Writers are what shape the very worlds we step into when we game.

Yeah, 4 writers, just 4 and 3 of them aren't from the old team.

Old teams can still bring new ideas to the table, or are people one track records when they reach past 30?. Don Bluth, an artist of our time was still able to churn out new and interesting movies and ideas, and the guy is already into his 80's. Doesn't matter how old you are, you can still come up with a new concept here and there. You'll judge the game based on some new fabricated merits that allow it to stand head and shoulders with the original, because it's something you like, rather than being critical about the time that's passed and what's been missing and what should have been there. I know what fans can be like with games, I know because I've been a massive fan of C&C for just over 2 decades, I've seen it fall from grace and seeing how it turned to crap over time, despite "new" blood coming into the office and tossing around "new" ideas, which resulted in making things worse for the franchise as a whole. The difference is, I'll actually be critical about it, but you seem to be setting it up to being something that can easily net itself a pass, which you shouldn't, because that allows mediocrity to seep in and you then lower your own standards. 

Everything isn't black, maybe stop painting my view as black to defend your own perhaps?. Maybe, just be a tiny bit more critical of something, while accounting for what has transpired, rather than ignoring everything else and assuming it will be good, like some blind overly optimistic person.