Pro-G Rumour mill

Welcome to the Rumour mill, Pro-G’s run-down of the big rumours currently doing the rounds in the video game industry. Every week we’ll hunt down the juiciest stories and give our opinion on how legit they are. So, whether you want the ridiculous or the plausible, read on.

EA to take over Xbox 360 business

The Rumour: Want to know why Microsoft didn’t buy Bizarre Creations (maker of PGR) and let Mass Effect creators BioWare join EA? It’s simple. EA will take over the Xbox 360 project from next year in a partnership with Microsoft.

Verdict: OK, it doesn’t take a genius to work out that this is highly unlikely, even in the minds of the most hardcore EA fanboys. Microsoft has been a little sloppy with its dev partners and EA is certainly growing, but the mega publisher going single-platform doesn’t really make financial sense. EA is doing brilliantly selling its games to everyone right now, so why change?

Plausibility rating: 1/5

New model Nintendo DS to launch in 2008

The Rumour: New model DS to be launched in Japan next spring. Reports from Japan suggest Nintendo will build a digital TV tuner into the new hardware revision.

Verdict: Nintendo is a shrewd company and the people in charge know that people will keep buying their hardware if they change it. Changing the colour seems to do the trick most of the time, but to capture the second sale of the slightly less hardcore Nintendo fan a real hardware change is in order. A digital TV tuner would be functional and appeal to the geek market. Sadly the rumour seems to originate from Gamelabo magazine, which is well known for running with rather unsubstantiated rumours, casting serious doubt on this new DS ever appearing.

Plausibility rating: 2/5

Joanna Dark to return in second Xbox 360 outing

The Rumour: New Perfect Dark due for Xbox 360 in 2008. Said to be a grittier game than Zero and will be Microsoft’s big game for next year.

Verdict: Rumours about sequels are always easy to believe, especially when the game in question is one of Microsoft’s biggest gaming IPs. Perfect Dark Zero wasn’t great, yet fans of the N64 original are still more than willing to hand over some cash for a great sequel. With no new Halo FPS next year and Epic quiet on Gears 2, Johanna Dark’s return seems very timely.

Plausibility rating: 4/5

Insomniac readying Resistance sequel

The Rumour: Another FPS sequel said to be arriving next year is Insomniac’s Resistance: Fall of Man 2. Reports suggest that the game will be set predominantly in the US (the first game took place in the UK) and will feature a revamped multiplayer mode.

Verdict: As with Ms. Dark’s return, it’s just common sense to think that Sony’s big PS3 launch title will be making a return. A two year turn-around from game one to two is feasible and Insomniac does seem to be going down the game a year route. Last year we got Resistance, this year we’re getting Ratchet & Clank: Tools of Destruction, and next year we’ll get Resistance 2.

Plausibility rating: 4/5

That’s all until next week, but be sure to post in the comments section below if you’ve heard a juicy rumour.