GameSpot, PC.IGN and GameSpy all have new Half-Life 2 previews this morning, offering hands-on impressions and several new screenshots.

So what, exactly, did we get to play? We got to play through a couple of different sequences, one of which was a story-driven, largely noninteractive expository sequence near the beginning of the game and the other of which was an action sequence involving action both on foot and behind the wheel of a nitro-equipped buggy (the one shown off at last year's E3). We can say that the initial sequence, though there was no real gameplay to it apart from just walking through an environment, was more impressive; it demonstrated to us that Valve still has a knack for creating dramatic, suspenseful sequences that can be exciting even without any kind of real action happening onscreen. That's as impressive of a feat as ever

What about a release date? According to IGN and GameSpy, Valve is shooting for this summer.