What we heard: Xbox 360 fans got a taste of 2010 this week, courtesy of an apparent leak about next year’s eagerly awaited sci-fi shooter, Halo: Reach. The report originated on the Major League Gaming forums (registration required) with user “ToM MoReLLo”–who initially wrote his name all over the screens. Since then, the leak has turned into a spigot on the informational free-for-all that is the NeoGAF forums, which has posted subsequent details.

The legitimate-looking screens are allegedly of a very early build of the game, with unfinished graphics possibly based on a new engine. One level appears to show space combat, but the rest are on land–presumably on the game’s titular planet, which was the setting of the first Halo novel, Halo: The Fall of Reach.

The official story: Wait for it…

“Microsoft does not comment on rumors or speculation.”–Microsoft rep.

Bogus or not bogus?: The screens look too detailed and information is a bit precise for this leak to be bogus. And with the Halo: Reach beta coming in early 2010, anyone who bought the beta-key equipped Halo 3: ODST won’t have that much longer to wait.