Source: Various reports on the Web, including Eurogamer.

The official story: See below.

What we heard: One of the games that made the biggest impressions on E3 attendees this year was Assassin's Creed, currently in development at Ubisoft Montreal. The third-person stealth/action game is a combination of Prince of Persia and Splinter Cell, and is set during the third Crusade in medieval Europe.

Considered by some to possibly be a "system seller," many (Microsoft included, no doubt) were shocked to find that it was only announced for the PlayStation 3 at this year's E3. The game was being shown behind closed doors at Ubisoft's booth in a small room where five stations were set up and Ubi developers ran lucky gamers through personal demos.

Early rumors had the game running on a PlayStation 3 at E3. Soon, rumors flew that the game was actually running on an Xbox 360 dev kit with a PlayStation 2 controller running through a USB adapter.

GameSpot News contacted Ubisoft to set the record straight. "Assassin's Creed was being shown on a PC emulating a PlayStation 3," a rep told GameSpot News. The systems were out of view, so we'll take Ubisoft's word as to what the game was running on.

As for confirming PlayStation 3 exclusivity, solving that riddle is proving as elusive as the game's protagonist. The pre-E3 announcement of the game says only that the game is being developed for the PS3, carefully avoiding any use of the word "exclusivity."

However, one compelling piece of evidence offers insight to the game's future. Assassin's Creed went under the codename Project Assassin, and was shown off as a PS3 game at last year's Tokyo Game Show. A month later, the game was also listed off as a future Xbox 360 title at Microsoft's X05 event in Amsterdam, but little was heard about that version since then.

Ubisoft has a history of showing love for multiple consoles, and has embraced all three next-gen systems with games such as Red Steel (Wii), Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter (Xbox 360), and Assassin's Creed (PS3). Red Steel was clearly earmarked for the Wii controller, and GRAW was well known to be an integral part of the Xbox 360's early days as the only next-gen console on shelves.

Those exceptions aside, other Ubisoft franchises are taking the same course as Ubi's current-gen multiplatform releases. The next Splinter Cell, Rainbow Six, and Brothers in Arms games are all being released for both the Xbox 360 and the PS3, so why should Assassin's Creed be any different? Answer: it probably isn't.

Ubisoft isn't indicating either way, further fueling the rumor inferno. "Assassin's Creed is coming to the PS3. No other platforms have been announced at this time," said a Ubisoft rep.

Bogus or not bogus?: What's "official" and what's going to happen are two different things. PS3 exclusive? Likely Bogus. What do you think?

Source: A teaser splash page on the official FASA Web site.

The official story: "We haven't made any announcements at this time."--Microsoft rep.

What we heard: If you were old enough to play role-playing games in the early 1990s, chances are you're familiar with Shadowrun. Created by FASA, who also gave the world Battletech, the innovative RPG that combined high fantasy and high-tech sci-fi. Players could pick from a D&D-esque roster of races--including orcs, elves, and dwarves--and two magic-using classes. However, the setting was largely cyberpunk--a distant future where megacorporations ruled the world and hackers stole fortunes by cracking secure databases via cyberspace...well, that part seemed pretty futuristic back in 1989.

Last summer, those old enough to remember playing RPGs in the late '80s and early '90s were heartened to learn that a Shadowrun game was in the works. It came when FASA Interactive animator Theron Berson let slip that he was working on a Shadowrun game for the Xbox 360 in an interview with RPG Vault. He said the Shadowrun game was "a first-person shooter based on an old paper RPG," raising the prospect of a Deus Ex-like FPS with RPG elements in the Shadowrun universe. Such a project would make perfect sense--since Microsoft bought FASA Interactive in 2001, when its parent company went under.

When asked about a 360 Shadowrun, Microsoft gave its usual nondenial denials, and the project quickly faded into the back of most gamers' minds. But that changed this week when a teaser page appeared on the official FASA Web site. It shows blue silhouettes of a dwarf, elf, human, and what could be an orc, troll, or minotaur--all holding what appear to be futuristic rifles and pistols. Were that not enough, the human figure on the far left has what appears to be a katana, the signature weapon of one of Shadowrun's most popular character classes in Shadowrun--the street samurai.

The timing of FASA's teaser campaign makes it almost assured that Shadowrun will be unveiled at the Electronic Entertainment Expo for the Xbox 360. However, an informed source told GameSpot this week that the game won't be exclusive to the console. According to the source, Microsoft will also use E3 to unveil Shadowrun as part of its reinvigorated push for PC gaming. Unfortunately, the game will reportedly only be compatible with Windows Vista, meaning it won't available until the first quarter of 2007--at the earliest.

Bogus or not bogus?: Judging by the not-so-subtle hint and the source's credibilty, we'll go with not bogus.

Source: A news story on the Web site of wire service United Press International, which has since been updated.

The official story: See below.

What we heard: As far as gaming Web sites were concerned, there was only one story to report on yesterday: Nintendo's controversial renaming of the Revolution, which now goes by the name "Wii." The fan furor over the move has yet to die down completely--GameSpot's story on the switch has received more than 3,188 mostly angry user comments.

But while most outlets were reporting only on the name change, the news wire service United Press International put up a story saying that Nintendo had confirmed a fourth-quarter release date for the Wii in addition to the name change. So we asked Nintendo PR how we had missed the announcement. A succinct reply came back, with the Nintendo rep saying only, "To my knowledge we didn't announce any sort of launch date yesterday for Wii."

Lo and behold, UPI has since changed its story to say that Nintendo only announced a 2006 release date for the Wii. Meanwhile, some unfortunate affiliates who picked up the original story apparently didn't get the memo. However, gamers can still expect the console to arrive in time for the holidays. At the Consumer Electronics Show in January, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata told consumers to expect the console by Thanksgiving. Unless he says something different at Nintendo's pre-E3 event on Tuesday, May 9, expect that launch window to stick.

Bogus or not bogus?: Bogus that the Wii's ship date was announced, not bogus that the Wii will arrive in Q4.

Source: Spanish game site Meristation.com by way of xbox365.com.

The official story: "Microsoft does not comment on rumors or speculation." -- Microsoft rep.

What we heard: Either Meristation.com is darn creative, or Microsoft has a serious leak problem. The Madrid-based game site claims to have received a laundry list of revelations from a chatty employee of the software behemoth's Xbox 360 division.

If true, the list augurs a host of major Xbox 360 developments in the coming months. Foremost among these is a price drop in October, shortly before the PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Revolution go on sale. According to Meristation.com's source, the price of the premium Xbox 360 bundle will go from $399 to $299, while the core bundle will drop $80 from $299 to $219.

The Microsoft mole also reportedly had revelations regarding some Xbox 360 peripherals. S/he said that the console's HD-DVD peripheral will be $100 and arrive in September, the same month that its EyeToy-like camera will ship. The camera will cost $50-$70 and come bundled with a game, will allow for Webcam videoconferencing, and be called "My Eye on You." (Insert snide Orwellian Bill-Gates-as-Big-Brother aside here.) The source also says that Microsoft is readying a 100GB hard drive for the 360, but did not have a release date or price.

On the game tip, the Meristation.com mole said that Halo 3 will be at E3 in two weeks in trailer form. The game will reportedly ship in March 2007, several months before the Halo movie is slated to hit theaters.

Another highly anticipated Xbox 360 game, Gears of War, will arrive the last week of October 2006 on the crest of a massive marketing push, according to the mole. Microsoft is also reportedly in negotiations to get exclusive rights for a high-profile "urban game"--which the site speculates could be the next Grand Theft Auto.

Though the above rumors are more than enough craziness for an asylum's worth of insane gamers, the Meristation story has more. It says that Sega has struck a deal much like its one with Nintendo to make most Genesis games playable on the Xbox 360 via a "virtual console." The site says said functionality will be available as of October, along with another wave of all new Xbox Live Arcade games.

Meristation's rumorpalooza wraps up with the mention that two new Xbox 360 dashboards are in the works, with one designed specifically for kids. It also says that Microsoft has signed deals with Epic Records for Xbox-360-exclusive music content, and with NBC to televise Xbox Live tournaments. Speaking of Xbox Live, the story also says that the bandwidth devoted to the online service will soon quintuple.

There's no question that the Meristation speculation will cause palpitations in just about any Xbox fanboy or girl. But once the enthusiasm generated by the story dies down, skepticism sets in. The simple fact is, with Microsoft maintaining its traditional wall of silence, there is no way to confirm or deny any aspect of the story. However, if even half of the details are true, Sony and Nintendo will be playing a serious game of catch-up when their consoles launch later in the year.

Bogus or not bogus?: There's no way of saying for sure, but take heart: Microsoft's pre-E3 press briefing is just over two weeks away.

Source: Magazine scans posted at a variety of places, including the 3D Realms forums.

The official story: Neither Electronic Arts nor PC Gamer had responded to requests for comment as of press time.

What we heard: It seems like advance copies of print magazines are preempting game announcements all over the world. Yesterday, it was the British Official Xbox Magazine blowing the lid off F.E.A.R. for the Xbox 360, much to the chagrin of PC gaming purists.

Many of the same people who scoffed when they heard that F.E.A.R. would be ported to consoles got a pleasant surprise today. That's when scans began to circulate of what is almost certainly the cover of next month's PC Gamer magazine.

Like most covers, the one pictured isn't shy about telling onlookers about its contents. In huge letters in the middle, it trumpets "Command & Conquer 3" underneath the words "New race, new story, new war!"

So is the shot actual confirmation of the C&C's existence? Well, if it's a fake, it's a clever fake. The format is exactly the same as that of the magazine's cover style, as can be seen on its Web site. Besides using the same fonts as previous issues, it also has the correct issue number, 149.

While official confirmation still hasn't been received, there was little question that a new Command & Conquer would come along eventually. With real-time strategy games among the best-selling PC games, there was much speculation that Electronic Arts would eventually bring back the storied series. Never mind that EA never met a franchise it didn't like. In 1998, it bought Westwood Studios, which was folded into EALA in 2003, primarily to get hold of the Command & Conquer license.

Today's leak appears to confirm whispers among the development community that the C&C franchise was being resurrected after going on hiatus after September 2003's Command & Conquer: Generals Zero Hour. Indeed, EA's recent release of Command & Conquer The First Decade, a compilation of 12 C&C games, now appears to be a marketing move to restoke interest in the franchise.

Bogus or not bogus?: Looking not bogus--expect more at E3...or sooner.

Source: A poster on the influential Gaming Age Forums.

The official story: See below.

What we heard: Though Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and World of Warcraft are hogging most role-playing gamers' attention at the moment, there are many other fantasy-themed RPGs in the works. One of the most anticipated is Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures, a massively multiplayer action RPG based on Robert E. Howard's influential series of Conan the Barbarian stories.

Like most MMORPGs, Age of Conan is PC-exclusive. However, that may change, according to a GAF poster. Said poster claims to have a friend who attended a question-and-answer session held by Funcom, the Norwegian developer of Age of Conan.

According to the poster, the Funcom developers "showed a trailer with a pretty intense draw distance apparantly [sic] as well as Conan himself wielding a morning star which seemed totally realistic in how the spiked ball would behave due to its weight and momentum." Then, "a question was asked about if they were thinking about other platforms than PC...then the spokesman [Bjorn Sundquist] made a kauf [sic] gesture saying *kauf*Xbox360*kauf*." (Emphasis added.)

Does a secondhand account based on hearsay mean the game is coming to the console? Answer: No. But it certainly raises the tantalizing possibility that it might. Currently, the only MMORPG currently slated for Microsoft's console is Final Fantasy XI. Besides being merely a souped-up version of a game that's been available on the PS2 and PC for years, FFXI doesn't have much appeal beyond the Japanese RPG crowd. With World of Warcraft staying strictly PC, Age of Conan could step into the void and become the must-have RPG for the platform. That would be great news for Xbox 360 owners, since Age of Conan was voted the most promising MMORPG of E3 2005 by GameSpot editors.

Another reason Age of Conan might be appealing to Microsoft is that, even though it is still officially set for release this coming May, it does not yet have a publisher. That means that, if it so chose, Microsoft could publish the game itself--and reap profits from it directly.

Officially, though, Age of Conan remains a PC product. "We haven't announced anything related to Conan and the 360, but I've think we have (over and over) stated that we are aiming to deliver all our future online RPGs to consoles," said Funcom rep Jørgen Tharaldsen "We did play the game on gamepads at E3 last year, but besides that I can't tell you much more at the moment except the fact that we are launching it on the PC."

Bogus or not bogus?: Bogus for now ... but let's hope it's eventually true, by Crom.

Source: Self-styled "online radio station" Orange Lounge Radio.

The official story: Konami reps had not returned requests for comment.

What we heard: Given that its primary focus is "Konami's beat-matching series of games such as the popular games Dance Dance Revolution and Beatmania," there's no question Orange Lounge Radio has its collective eye on Konami. So, despite the site's low profile, people took notice this week when it crowed it had uncovered a slew of unannounced games and ship dates, courtesy of a leaked list Konami had sent to retailers.

Given their mission statement, the editors of Orange Lounge Radio were presumably most excited by the list's alleged mention of no fewer than three new DDR titles. Dance Dance Revolution Supernova, currently available only in arcades, will ship for the PlayStation 2 on September 13, just a month before the series' next-generation debut, the as-yet-unannounced Dance Dance Revolution Universe for the Xbox 360, on October 11. Finally, Dance Dance Revolution Ultramix 4 will come to the current-generation Xbox on November 14.

The list purportedly reveals the existence of a new Castlevania game for the DS. Titled Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, the game is slated for release on November 15, just over a year after the franchise first hit the platform in the form of Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrows.

The list also caused some confusion with the mention of a Silent Hill-related PlayStation Portable game. Orange Lounge Radio assumes that the product in question, called Silent Hill: Original Sin, is a portable remake of the original game and "will feature the original storyline with a few twists." However, the only PSP Silent Hill game Konami has announced so far is the Silent Hill Experience, an interactive comic on UMD. Could the PSP game mentioned be the same thing with a new name? Probably not, since the Silent Hill Experience is listed on EBgames.com as already shipping--no doubt to help hype the Silent Hill film, due next Friday. The list supposedly says that Silent Hill: Original Sin won't ship until October 18.

In the slightly less macabre department, the leaked list reportedly promises not one, but two new Death Jr. games. Not only will the mini-Grim Reaper return on the PSP in the form of Death Jr. 2, but it will also allegedly be coming to the Nintendo DS as an all-new game, Death Jr.: Science Fair of Doom.

The list also promises a potentially very lucrative tie-in for Konami. According to Orange Lounge Radio, the list has Karaoke Revolution: American Idol arriving in stores on November 15. If true, the game would be the second one based on the megapopular television series, after Codemasters' dismally reviewed 2003 game.

Last but not least, the site claims that the retailer lists the much-awaited Bomberman: Act Zero's North American release date--July 12 for the Xbox 360. It also claims that Bomberman's PSP debut, called Bomberman: Bakufuu Sentai Bombermen in Japan, will go on sale the same day.

So how reliable is Orange Lounge Radio's story? Though there is no concrete evidence, the amount of detail makes it sound more plausible than not. However, nothing is official yet. Adding to the evidence is the fact that until this morning, EBgames.com had listings for the two new Death Jr. games as well as Bomberman: Act Zero for the Xbox 360. The online store still has a listing for a PSP Bomberman: Act Zero as coming on June 1.

Bogus or not bogus?: We'll take a chance and say not bogus--E3 will likely prove us wrong or right.

Source: A research note from Wall Street firm Lazard Capital Markets.

The official story: Sony had not responded to requests for comments as of press time.

What we heard: Toward the end of last year, many analysts were convinced that Sony would drop the price of the PlayStation 2 to $129 or even $99 to blunt the launch of the Xbox 360. As it turns out, that didn't happen. Year-on-year sales of the console rose 10 percent during the Holiday 2005 season, thanks to frustrated shoppers settling when they couldn't find an elusive Xbox 360. (The rise was also due to the fact that the PS2 was in short supply during Q4 2004.)

Still, rumors of an even-cheaper PS2 resurfaced today, thanks to the aforementioned Lazard Capital Markets report. Its author is Colin Sebastian, a senior game-industry analyst who is as well-respected--if not as publicly visible--as Wedbush Morgan's omnipresent Michael Pachter.

In his note, Sebastian says that a PS2 price cut could be just weeks away. "Our industry checks indicate that Sony is planning to cut the PS2 price to $129 from the current $149 before the end of this month," he wrote.

So is a PS2 price cut in the offing? Sony isn't saying. The last official word on the matter came at last month's PlayStation Business Briefing in Tokyo, when Sony Computer Entertainment president Ken Kutaragi said the company had no plans to drop the PS2's current price of $149 in the US.

However, given that the PlayStation Business Briefing was called to revise another of Kutaragi's proclamations--that the PlayStation 3 would launch in Spring 2006--it's plausible that Sony's tune could change. The company also has some wiggle room--while Microsoft loses an estimated $126 on every Xbox 360 sold, Sony reportedly makes money on each unit of the new slimline PS2.

But even if a PS2 price cut doesn't happen this month, Sebastian is convinced one will come eventually, given Sony's desire to extend its current-generation console's life cycle. "In our opinion, hardware price cuts are necessary not only to drive demand at the end of a console cycle, but also to bring the current-generation consoles within reach of more value-oriented customers," he wrote. He also says a $99 PS2 is "likely" in 2007.

Bogus or not bogus?: Eventually not bogus, but for now analyst speculation is just that--speculation.

Source: A report with pictures on PSP Updates.

The official story: "There has not been any official imagery released from Sony Computer Entertainment showcasing the PS one emulator on PSP. Please disregard those images as false."--a Sony representative.

What we heard: This morning, PSP Updates posted a news report about the PSP's upcoming PSone game emulation, based on an e-mail from a reader. Along with the e-mail, the site reprinted three pictures that showed the emulation system's interface and dropped hints about Sony's plans for the service.

Two of the pictures showed a lineup of downloadable games that featured a number of PSone games including Gran Turismo 2, Metal Gear Solid, and Final Fantasy VII. The third picture seems to be a submenu from which the user can download Gran Turismo 2, and contains information like the ESRB rating, details on the game's support for ad hoc and Infrastructure Wi-Fi modes, and interestingly enough, a price. Downloading the game would purportedly cost players $15.

However, There are a number of suspicious things about the PSP-download menu pictures. For one, look at the roster of games being offered. Sure, Gran Turismo 2 and Final Fantasy VII make sense, but what's with all the mediocre titles cluttering up the list? Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare? Duke Nukem: Land of the Babes? Not one, but two poorly received Broken Sword games? Then there's Doom II--which was was never released as a stand-alone game on the PlayStation. It was instead included in the original PlayStation version of Doom.

Beyond that, two of the pictures show text transposed over the PSP's signature background of gently lolling wavy lines. The thing is, those lines normally move, and the two screen shots show them in identical positions on the screen, suggesting that someone created both images from the same picture of the PSP background.

On the other hand, it's possible that these are conceptual mockups of the interface prepared internally by Sony, in which case everything is placeholder information (including the price), and things like a duplicated background or fabricated list of games wouldn't be any big deal. Also, incorporating obscure details like the PSP's Parental Control system (which includes 11 different levels of content restrictions) shows an unusual attention to detail for a faker who couldn't be bothered to change up the background from shot to shot.

But if that were the case, why wouldn't Sony have sent forth its cease-and-desist lawyer squad to have the images pulled? You know, the crew that made early info about God of War 2 and a co-op mode for the PSP Killzone disappear from the Web? Or the peeps that did the same thing when a site jumped the embargo date on screens for Untold Legends: Dark Kingdom? It just doesn't add up.

Bogus or not bogus?: Bogus.