Mm...interesting article. And myeah, it doesn't necessarily have to be a prequel. Simply because they're going to let you play out Alyx' part in the storyline, so that means they could have the story set before Freeman arrives in City 17...but that also means that there'll be no Freeman at all in the entire game (except near the end).
That would surprise me...in the HL1 expansions, you'd see Freeman cross your path a few times throughout the game. But then, who says they're going down the same road?
Anyhoo...I'm eagerly awaiting it. Especially with the HDR. I've been playing the Lost Coast level again 2 days ago with all gizmo's turned up (full AA and AF, max detail, max shadows, full HDR) and God it looks great. The "adaption to the human eye" thing is glorious. I can't wait for it to feature in Oblivion...stepping out a dark dungeon, blinded by the bright sunlight at first. W00t!