Fans who were dedicated enough to beat last year's Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (and believe me, I wouldn't blame you if you didn't) were treated to a cryptic message announcing The Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Speculation about what this title is has been rampant, with theories ranging from an enhanced/expanded version of Two Towers and Return of the King on one disc to even a fighting game. The mystery is now over. Now titled Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, EA is giving players a chance to experience Middle-Earth in a new way.
Unlike EA's other forays into the Middle-Earth, The Third Age is an RPG. The combat system is turn-based and should feel very comfortable to both casual and hardcore RPG players. However, EA has thrown in a few mechanics that will set Third Age apart from other RPGs, such as the ability to fight atop horses and, once you unlock them, wargs. Players begin by creating their characters based on races and classes found within the Tolkien trilogy.
Your adventure begins at the side of the Fellowship. The path you take will follow the events in the Peter Jackson directed trilogy, but will also take you to areas that are only touched upon in the movies. You'll participate in major plot events such as the defense of the stronghold of Helm's Deep and the storming of the Black Gates, but will also experience your own unique adventures in locales such as Minas Tirith, Osgiliath, Rohan and Khazad Dum. The layout is very open and will include various side-quests for your party to participate in if they choose. The choices you make during your adventures will influence the progress of the Fellowship, but will not radically change the events of the Trilogy as Tolkien wrote it (so there's no chance of your character killing Frodo and brandishing the power of the ring). Sometimes you'll fight with characters from the movies, and other times you may either be ahead or behind them. Decisions you make will also define your path through the game, and will even give you a chance to fight alongside the armies of Sauron.
If you played any of EA's previous LotR games, you already know what to expect graphically. The game looks simply amazing and is every bit as detailed as the previous two games. Footage from the movies will also be used, but in an entirely different way.
Lord of the Rings: The Third Age is slated to ship this fall for the PS2, GameCube and Xbox. A GBA version is also in the works.