One of the bigger, and juicier rumors we have been hearing before the onset of E3 2008 is that Bungie’s next Halo game will not be starring Master Chief. In fact, he may not even make an appearance. Today, Gamespot is reporting, with the help of a shadowy source person with "knowledge of the studio’s development,” that not only will the next Halo game lack the Chief, but it will also be a ‘cross between Ghost Recon and Gears of War.’

The source goes on to unveil a few other tasty morsels of information. One alleged fact revealed is that this new Halo game will be a decidedly more violent take on the eternal war between Earth and the Covenant. Its action and tone is supposedly akin to those crazy Neil Blomkamp short films. The last thing mentioned is that the game is said to incorporate a squad-based cooperative mode that extends all the way through the single-player campaign.

The game is supposed to be revealed at E3 this year. As you can notice, it’s not included on Nick’s list so keep your fingers crossed and the Halo dream is alive. Personally, I would greatly enjoy getting away from Master Chief. His heroics, massive strength, and talkative nature really wear a person down after three games.