New Halo MMOFPS in the works?

There's a rumor out that bungie is working on an MMO Halo game. While I would take this with a pinch of salt (what?? the internets can't lie!), the rumor comes at a timely point for me as I was chewing over the idea of my next blog post to be about MMOFPSes.

I enjoy playing FPS, it's more about pure skill (minus the various cheats of course) than about how long you played the game and what level you are and what armor you were fortunate/persistent enough to get. Every game is pretty much on a level playing field, and if you lose it's pretty much because the other player was better than you.

I also enjoy MMOs, because I do like the idea of a persistent world, one where you build your character and your reputation and you can easily switch between PvE and PvP depending on your mood (and sometimes depending on the mood of the opponents riding past!)

So the logical following is to mash up the two and get twice the enjoyment, right? Unfortunately, I think this formula doesn't always work. As my old boss used to say, "It's not just a floor polish, it's also a desert topping". I just can't see a good formula for mixing FPS and MMO.

Have you heard of any games that worked, even a little, that were FPSMMOs? Let me know in the comments!