According to the official Steam website, a new patch for Half-Life 2: Episode One is now available. The update offers a balancing update by making the elevator battle a bit easier.

The Steam website has word that an update for Half-Life 2: Deathmatch is now available. The update fixes four exploits and adds a few new commands.

The Steam website notes that there is a small patch for Half-Life 2: Episode One, fixing some corrupt closed caption lines and taking care of a bug related to gameplay stats reporting. The same Steam update also takes care of a CD-key bug in Earth 2160.

EuroGamer has posted the second part of their lengthy Half-Life 2 interview, asking the Valve team about the use of community feedback, justifying weapon upgrades, lack of exploration possibilities, and scary scenes.

There's a Half-Life 2: Episode One interview on EuroGamer, asking Valve's Gabe Newell, Robin Walker and Doug Lombardi about the newly released episodic game and plans for the future.

Over at FileShack you can grab Half-Life 2: Episode One launch teaser #4. This minute long clip shows cinematic in-game footage involving Alyx and Dog.

New at FiringSquad today is this Half-Life 2: Episode One Q&A with Doug Lombardi of Valve. Lombardi is asked about the difference between creating a full game vs a brief one like this, storytelling, puzzles, big action set pieces, graphical improvements and future Valve plans.

Valve sends along another Half-Life 2: Episode One movie, showing more Alyx gameplay footage. Episode One is due out later this week. Update: GameSpot has a hands-on preview.

Game Informer has a new Half-Life 2: Episode One preview posted, checking out the expansion pack and talking to project lead Robin Walker about it. Includes new media.

Not much of a surprise with the June 1st release date being announced a while back, but hey it's Valve and so you'll be glad to know that Half-Life 2: Episode One is all done. The game is the first in a three part series, with the second installment coming late this year

"Given the rapid changes in PC gaming, we expect episodic games will have the same impact on single-player gaming that Counter-Strike had on multiplayer," said Gabe Newell, president and co-founder of Valve. "The frequent releases of upgraded technology and new content works better for both consumers and developers, and is one of the key reasons Counter-Strike grew to be 80% of the online action market. We decided that a follow-up to Half-Life 2 delivered in 18 months with our first episode was more in tune with what our customers want than waiting 6 years for another monolithic product."

Episode One offers a new single player experience created by Valve, and is designed to be four to six hours in length. Stepping into the hazard suit of Dr. Gordon Freeman, you face the immediate repercussions of your actions in City 17 and the Citadel. Alyx Vance and her robot, Dog, will accompany you in your efforts to aid in the human resistance's desperate battle against the totalitarian alien menace of the Combine.

A new gameplay movie is available from FileShack.

Missed this one yesterday, but Steam has the latest Valve news update. It reminds everyone of the June 1st Episode One launch, while linking to the Nuclear Dawn website (upcoming Half-Life 2 mod) and mentioning that SiN Episodes: Emergence will be in European stores next week.

A new Steam marketing message is up, talking about the release of Sin Episodes: Emergence as well as map plans for Counter-Strike: Source and Day of Defeat: Source. More HDR enabled maps for CS:S are coming, while DOD will receive a new map called Colmar. This map will feature a new objective system being added to the game.

IGN has posted a new Half-Life 2: Episode One Q&A. Project manager Eric Johnson is asked about the future of City 17, the relationship between G-Man and other characters, creating new and interesting gameplay designs, mixing puzzle and action gameplay, the episodic approach to expanding the Half-Life universe, and a few other things.

The Steam website notes that updates for Counter-Strike: Source, Half-Life 2, and the Source Engine are now available, mostly fixing issues and bugs. Restart Steam to grab the updates.

The Steam Review reports that Garry's Mod, the popular physics and model poser mod for Half-Life 2 will soon be offered for sale on Steam. The mod will cost $10, and there will be regular updates. People who donated money in the past, will have to pay again to get the latest version. The article has several quotes by the mod's author, who states he was pretty much done with the mod until this became a possibility

"There was no reason for me to fix all the bugs (which required a whole lot of work). I planned to release a few bug/security fixes and leave it at that. This deal bought GMod back. There was a reason for me to work on it... the community wins that way".

There is also a forum post with a FAQ of sorts right here. Thanks Legion116.

Computer & Video Games has posted a hew Half-Life 2: Episode One preview, offering impressions of the expansion pack along with quotes from Valve's Robin Walker. Episode One is due out in June.

Over at FileShack you can now download a new Episode One movie, showing about a minute of gameplay footage from Valve's upcoming Half-Life 2 expansion. There are also four more screenshots.

Update: Valve now has opened the official site for Episode One. The site mentions Episode One will be released June 1st.

Here are some new snaps from Valve's upcoming Half-Life 2 expansion pack Episode One

According to the latest Valve marketing message, April and May will be busy months for the Steam delivery platform. Ritual will be relasing SiN Episode 1: Emergence and Valve the long awaited Half-Life 2: Episode One, while new Counter-Strike: Source and Day of Defeat: Source content updates are on the way as well.

GameInformer has posted an interview with Valve's Gabe Newell and Doug Lombardi, conducted during GDC. Questions are about digital distribution, free preview weekends, third party games coming to Steam, console support plans, Half-Life 2: Episode 1 (Coming May 31 now), the cliffhanger ending of Half-Life 2, and Team Fortress among other things.