Despite a considerable stretch of silence, it appears as though Half-Life 2: Episode 3 rumors are starting to pick up steam yet again. First we had a mystery haiku, then we had a shirts, and now we have a voice actor claiming to have recorded lines for the game.

The report comes from OXM, which claims to have talked to a US-based voice actor who lent his talents to the oft-delayed third chapter of Half-Life 2. While he wouldn't apparently go into any further details, that statement alone gives us a good amount of information. For one, it means that Valve is actually working on the game, despite all signs pointing towards the chapter being scrapped entirely.

It also means that they might not be pushing out Half-Life 3 as quickly as possible, as was previously rumored after the Episode's delay. Or the actor slipped up, and meant to say Half-Life 3 when he said Episode 3. Or he's a liar.

Hopefully we'll hear more in the near future, potentially as soon as the VGAs this weekend. Valve is already confirmed to be attending (likely to pick up whatever awards Portal 2 walks away with), so maybe they'll drop some more clues while they're on the mic?