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Bungie and Bill Gates spill the beans on the latest Halo 3 goings-on, and the results ain't pretty. Halo fans, prepare yourselves for a rude awakening.

One statement from 2005 still rings in the ears of gamers everywhere: "It's perfect...the day Sony launches [the PS3], and they walk right into Halo 3." Microsoft's Bill Gates may have been a bit brash about the impending launch of the Xbox 360 in that infamous Time magazine cover story. But it was spectacular to hear the founder of Microsoft make such a bold statement. Was this just a business strategy to get Sony riled up and shaking in their boots? Bill Gates isn't the big bad daddy of Microsoft for nothing.

In a recent interview with Engadget, Gates gets realistic and changes his tune. So, what's the real deal with Halo 3 and its release date? Here's a revealing excerpt, which is buried halfway through Engadget's massive interview with Gates:

Big Bad Daddy

Engadget: Are we going to see Halo 3 launch around the time of the launch of the PS3?

Gates: No, I have to make sure that any speculation I did about that is -- it's up to the team when they want to ship that, and they're going to take their time to make that a super great product. So even we don't know when that will come out. That's one of many games that are just phenomenal that are in the works, but it's up to the artists to do it when they feel good about it.

Analysis: Bill Gate's choice of words here is quite interesting. He doesn't deny that Halo 3 will be ready by April, but instead leaves the ball in Bungie's court. That's quite a difference from his original statements in Time.

But that's not the whole story. Bungie's latest update sheds a few more rays of light on the ever-elusive saga of Halo 3.

Frank O' Connor: "I would also like to start talking in concrete terms about what our next project is. And I can't wait for that time to arrive. Won't be long, I swear."

Sketch: "I vow that before the end of 2006 our fans will have some solid information on what's coming next from Bungie!"

Analysis: Gee, thanks, Sketch. So if nothing else, we can comfortably surmise that Bungie's next project--be it Halo 3, Marathon 3, or Oni 2 *cough*--will be announced within the next eleven months or so. Hardly groundbreaking news, but it's sure to comfort squirrelly Halo fans at least a little.

But if you ask us, Bungie's real New Year's Resolution is to hold more secrets than the CIA. Judging by the CIA's recent track record, that might not be so hard to do.

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