Gears of War: Exile and Halo HD premiering at E3?

What we heard: The Electronic Entertainment Expo descends upon the Los Angeles Convention Center next week for its 2011 showing. While it has been confirmed that Nintendo will unveil its Wii successor at the show, few other high-profile announcements have been made known. However, according to a purported image of the cover of Xbox 360 World magazine on the Epic Games forums, Microsoft is going to announce Gears of War: Exile and one "Halo HD" at its media event.

In January, Epic Games trademarked Gears of War: Exile, but neither its developer nor Microsoft has uttered a word about the project in the months that have passed. The title is rumored to be an on-rails shooter that uses the Kinect motion-sensing system, but no official word has been offered.

As for the Halo HD mention, an unconfirmed report in February suggests that Microsoft is planning a high-definition remake of Halo: Combat Evolved for this holiday season. In fact, the report states the game will debut on November 15, 2011, which is exactly 10 years after Halo: Combat Evolved shipped for the original Xbox.

The official story: "We do not comment on rumors or speculation."-- Microsoft spokesperson.

Bogus or not bogus?: Given its E3 track record, it's a near certainty that Microsoft will make some announcement concerning either the Gears of War or Halo franchise at its E3 2011 press event at 9 a.m. on Monday, June 6. With just over a week to go before the show, gamers will soon have the answers they seek.