Combat looks more like hl1 than hl2, dunno if it's meant to be oldschool, I would rather see some hl2 combat here
Of course it's meant to look old-school since it's a remake of HL1 with modern Source Engine graphics. :-P
Of course I know 2009 is near, but I don't see a set date :/
No release date with trailers already out usually means up to half a year to completion. Since the holiday season is approaching I don't think the MOD will be released anywhere near January. Of course Q1 2009 would be an optimistic guess with Q2 being a realistic one and the worst-case scenario, judging by how many MODs fell into unforeseen trouble, is Q3 2009.