Half-Life 2 was pretty groundbreaking in its use of facial animations back in late '04, bringing characters like Alyx and Barney to life. While it's not nearly as conversation-intensive as LAN, I can't help but wonder if they're working to stay current. Or rather, knowing Valve, innovating to push it ever further.

That being said, I would be more than happy to see Ep3 (or whatever it'll be named) released this year, minus facial improvements. Source's animations and lip-syncing are still some of the best, as-is.