The Lord of the Rings Online E3 Previews

A couple more previews of Turbine's The Lord of the Rings Online: Shadows of Angmar have reached the web, both of which are based on the demo shown at this year's E3. The first is at WorthPlaying:
Magic is a touchy subject in Middle-Earth, since Tolkien's work is pretty definitive on the subject. The true magic users in the world are already defined as part of the canon, and it isn't possible for players to move up to the level of a Gandalf or Saruman. However, the Loremaster and Minstrel classes will be able to perform some minor magical feats. Healing is also a delicate situation, as the Lord of the Rings universe does not have magical healing along the lines of many other fantastical universes. To compensate for this, your party members will not take damage to health as they would in other games but instead take damage to morale. Only when morale is totally gone will you be defeated, which is why classes such as Minstrel and Captain will be able to take on "healer" roles by boosting morale.

And the second is at Ten Ton Hammer:
Graphically, LOTRO is a stunner. The game looks lush and beautiful. We watched our demo character explore places like the Shire and The Old Forest. Steefel explained that, at the moment, the map radar wasn't enabled in The Old Forest. (It's a maze,) he said. (Frodo described The Old Forest as confusing and frightening, and we want it to feel that way. I get lost all the time.)