So you’ve spent the last week and a half drooling over your Orange Box collection and finishing off Episode Two and Portal.  And like us you now have a lot of questions on your mind regarding the series, how Portal fits in, what’s next and so on.

Well, you’re in luck!  In preparing for the release of The Orange Box we took a trip to Valve to play through the games and had a list of our own questions about a mile long when we emerged a day later.  Luckily we got a chance to get them all answered in a sit down with David Speyrer, Project Lead on Half-Life 2: Episode II as well as Kim Swift and Jeep Barnett from the Portal team.

This first of three interview segments focuses on our discussion with David Speyrer and covers Episode Two specific topics ranging from the decision behind the inclusion of Doctor Magnussen, to the origins of the Hunters to his preference of the AR-3 over the AR-2.  

Next week we’ll release the second portion of this discussion focusing on our discussion with Kim Swift and Jeep Barnett of the Portal development team and covers the teams transition from college seniors to superstar developers and the transformation of their indie title Narbacular Drop into Portal.

The final, and third segment, will continue our discussion with David Speyrer focusing on lessons learned from Episode One to Episode Two, the Episodic content model and what’s next for the folks at Valve, and us!.

WARNING:  There are SPOILERS abound so DO NOT continue if you’ve not finished both Half-Life 2: Episode Two and Portal!!