This is going to be awesome and Pandemic is the developers. 
Announcement
In-depth interview (must read, lots of info)
Screens
Announcement
The Lord of the Rings: Conquest, the studio's semi-spiritual sequel to its Star Wars: Battlefront work. The game will allow players to jump into any battle seen in the films, as well as some extras, and let you play out the battle any way you see fit.
Conquest will let players take control of many of the characters and creatures from the series and pit them on any of the franchise's famous battlefields. From Cave-trolls to Oliphaunts to the Balrog and even Sauron, practically the entire universe will be available for battle with up to 150 characters on-screen at any one time. Up to eight players will be able to clash online, with four players able to play cooperatively through the main campaign either online or via four-player split-screen. And with two distinct campaigns to play through, including an original take on what would happen if Sauron regained control of the One Ring, Pandemic promises plenty of scenarios to wage battle through.
Conquest will let players take control of many of the characters and creatures from the series and pit them on any of the franchise's famous battlefields. From Cave-trolls to Oliphaunts to the Balrog and even Sauron, practically the entire universe will be available for battle with up to 150 characters on-screen at any one time. Up to eight players will be able to clash online, with four players able to play cooperatively through the main campaign either online or via four-player split-screen. And with two distinct campaigns to play through, including an original take on what would happen if Sauron regained control of the One Ring, Pandemic promises plenty of scenarios to wage battle through.
The Lord of the Rings: Conquest is set for release in the fall of 2008 and will hit the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC.
In-depth interview (must read, lots of info)
IGN: So which battles will you be able to take part in? Is this everything from the movies?
Eric Gewirtz: We've got every single battle from the movies and then some. We've got Helm's Deep, Pelennor Fields, Minas Tirith, The Black Gates, and then we've got a bunch of other cool stuff like the Mines of Moria. Weathertop, The Shire. We've got a whole level where you get to play as the evil guys, running through The Shire, trampling Hobbits and burning the place to the ground.
And really we've focused equal parts on the good perspective and the idea of re-creating cinematic moments from the films -- not faithfully so much, but just kind of allowing the player to experience moments that are like the films -- but also really, for the first time, letting you get the chance to play as all of the bad guys. Play as the Balrog, play as Sauron and Sarumon, and really kind of live out that fantasy fulfillment of "what would it be like to really just destroy Middle-Earth? What if evil had won?"
Eric Gewirtz: We've got every single battle from the movies and then some. We've got Helm's Deep, Pelennor Fields, Minas Tirith, The Black Gates, and then we've got a bunch of other cool stuff like the Mines of Moria. Weathertop, The Shire. We've got a whole level where you get to play as the evil guys, running through The Shire, trampling Hobbits and burning the place to the ground.
And really we've focused equal parts on the good perspective and the idea of re-creating cinematic moments from the films -- not faithfully so much, but just kind of allowing the player to experience moments that are like the films -- but also really, for the first time, letting you get the chance to play as all of the bad guys. Play as the Balrog, play as Sauron and Sarumon, and really kind of live out that fantasy fulfillment of "what would it be like to really just destroy Middle-Earth? What if evil had won?"
That's gonna be sweet. Battlefront was fun as can be.
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