Well maybe this is actually good news...at least for my bank account...because to play this game properly would require me to buy a new processor, more RAM, new video card, new motherboard... and while I'm at it I should get a new mouse, monitor, case, power supply, mouse pad, and a higher paying job... all just to play this game.
My 2 GHz Athlon with 512 MB of RAM and a GF4 4400 seemed like a fairly hot machine until I read the requirements for HL2. At some point, trying to keep up with the latest and greatest becomes a little rediculous...