Source: Indian blog GameGuru.

　　What we heard: Gameplay details for games nowhere near the production line are springing up like weeds as of late. In the course of a week, bloggers have tapped unnamed sources for rundowns on the next franchise installments in EA's Battlefield, Ubisoft's Prince of Persia, and Insomniac's Resistance.

　　The latest to take sprout is from Indian blog GameGuru, which has apparently landed details on the "Xbox 360's next humongous killer app." Citing unnamed sources, the blog states that Microsoft's next big push will be for Rare's Perfect Dark 2, which will officially be announced "sometime during the latter part of next year." Whereas Perfect Dark Zero was a prequel to Rare's acclaimed Nintendo 64 game, Perfect Dark 2 will be a sequel proper, the blog claims.

　　GameGuru also states that PD2 will feature a Joanna Dark that is "darker than usual to give the player a feeling of a twisted edge," and that all of the characters will have tinted gray auras. This is likely in relation to what GameGuru calls Perfect Dark 2's "morality system," in which "choices are going to have a huge impact on the gameplay, giving players a variety [of] branches in the storyline itself." The blog also says that Rare's engine will feature a fully interactive environment, and that "there are probably going to be no cutscenes in the entire game."

　　Despite being peppered with rampant hyperbole, the blog is likely right about a Perfect Dark sequel being in development. Having sold more than 600,000 units and being one of the system's first Platinum Hits, Perfect Dark Zero performed respectably as an Xbox 360 launch title in 2005, which would warrant another installment in the series. The extended development time could also be plausible, considering that Rare has been neck-deep in copulating papier-mâché with Viva Piñata for the Xbox 360, as well as upcoming Nintendo DS and PC versions of the original game.

　　Whether or not Microsoft plans on matching its $10 million Halo 3 marketing effort for PD2 is a whole other can of worms. Given that Rare is owned by Microsoft, the game will undoubtedly be an Xbox 360-exclusive, which is a, pardon the pun, increasingly rare occurrence in this multiplatform era. As a result, a significant marketing push is to be expected. However, considering how prone to hyperbole the blog is, the reports of its size could be greatly exaggerated.

　　It's also worth noting that Viva Piñata was a risky investment for Microsoft, one that hasn't paid off quite as well as the company might have hoped, considering the game has moved less than 290,000 units to date in the US. Given that, Rare should be looking to make safe bets (read: sequels in established franchises) with its next projects. The upcoming Banjo Kazooie sequel is one such project, and a new Perfect Dark is the most natural other candidate.

　　The official story: Microsoft had not responded to request for comment as of press time.

　　Bogus or not bogus?: Not bogus that there will be a sequel. No call on the details.