Rumors being what they are, we have to take this latest bunch of gossip from EGM's Quartermann with a grain of salt. As rumors go though, these ones are really something we can bite into, simply because we hope that a lot of them are true.

First up is word on a new Halo spin-off coming late next year. According to the rumors, the game will be a third-person action/adventure shooter hybrid, set before the first Halo game and focuses on the skirmishes between the ODST troops and the Covenant.

We don't know if this is the Peter Jackson Halo project. A big reveal is expected to come around the time Gears of War 2 is released. At any rate, any Halo spin-off would be sweet.

Also a hot topic is an MMO being developed for the Grand Theft Auto universe. This rumor has been circling around since 2006, but this is the first one we've heard that it's actually already in development. We have our fingers crossed for this one.

Speaking of Grand Theft Auto, word is that publisher Rockstar has several other projects in development, like Max Payne 3 and Red Dead Revolver 2 which are both headed for the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3.

You may have also read on our previous report that the next Guitar Hero game will have more instruments. On the flip side, Quartermann reports that Rock Band 2 won't have any new instruments at all.