Lord of the Rings: The Third Age Interview

GameSpot has conducted an interview with EA's Steve Gray, asking the executive producer several questions about the newly announced RPG, The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age. Here's a snip:
Q: How did you decide on the gameplay mechanics?

A: Once we started work on The Third Age and knew that it would be a role-playing game, we began brainstorming on the most interesting way to tell the story that we all know and love while giving players a major role in the events. It's a delicate balance. You are playing as player-created characters who need to find their way through Middle-earth and participate in the story in interesting and meaningful ways, building and experiencing a story wrapped around the thrilling events of the New Line Cinema films.

You travel on a sort of "S" curve that weaves in and out of the path of the Fellowship through the story of the trilogy. At times you'll be behind or "next to" them; at other times you'll be in the same time and place as members of the Fellowship.

While there is a clear beginning and end to The Lord of the Rings, The Third Age, there are many paths to choose between the two. The main focus of the game is the quest on the side of good, but you can also unlock evil encounters, and we think players will really enjoy playing on the side of Sauron in addition to playing as good guys. The environments are very open, and there are optional side quests that will give the player a lot of freedom to make their experience unique.