I'm not really a fan of the whole "waking up inside the chopper" idea. Mainly because I didn't seem to think the fading out at the end of Episode 2 was supposed to be Gordon losing consciousness. Assuming Gordon doesn't lose consciousness it doesn't make sense to start the game as if you're...
I'd like to see valve remake the original Half-Life in the source engine with a more story-oriented goal before they add on to the HL story.
It'd be nice to clear up some of those old questions we all have regarding the first game.