RUMOR #1: The Xbox version of Half-Life 2 has been cancelled.
Source: Gamers whose pre-orders had been nixed by EB Games.
The official story: "EB Games does not have any additional information on the status of Half-Life 2 for Xbox. As our pre-order information was speculative, we decided to cease accepting pre-orders."--An EB Games Spokesperson.
What we heard: After receiving e-mails from alarmed gamers, GameSpot contacted Valve, VU Games, and EB Games about the status of the Xbox version of Half-Life 2. What we got were a variety of responses: Valve said that while it had plans to eventually bring the game to multiple consoles, right now it was "concentrating on getting the PC version done." VU would only say that the Xbox HL2's status had not changed since last June, when a VU spokesperson re-confirmed Gabe Newell's comments that a version was being developed for the Microsoft console. As for EB, they issued the above statement. So what does all that mean? Basically, that the PC version of Half-Life 2 is so far off, a console port is no longer even on its developer's, publisher's, or retailer's radar.
Bogus or not bogus?: Bogus. Half-Life 2 will eventually come to the Xbox. However, when--and in what form--is still very much in flux.
