Get the hankies ready folks - Half-Life 2: Episode Two has been delayed. Again.

We were expecting it in summer - a delay from a previously announced early 2007 date - but it's now due this winter.

News of the new release date was sneaked in at the bottom of a press release announcing details on the Orange Box and Black Box versions of Half-Life 2: Episode Two that'll be released to retail.

HL2 Black Box is for PC and includes Half-Life 2: Episode Two, Portal and Team Fortress 2, while the Orange Box is for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 includes all the content of The Black Box along with the original Half-Life 2 and Half-Life 2: Episode One.

We guess it's possible that Valve will release Episode Two for PC through Steam before it hits retail, but don't count your chickens.

With the developer aiming for a simultaneous release on all platforms with its Half-Life 2 projects, we can only imagine that the console versions have pushed things back.

We've fired off an email to Valve to get the score. Well let you know if we get anything juicy back.

February 7, 2007