Next on our GC 2008 agenda is The Lord of the Rings: Conquest, currently in development at Pandemic Studios, creators of the Star Wars: Battlefront series. The game is in development for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 (and if we're not mistake, the Nintendo DS) and certainly looks like it could bring a few neat twists to the genre.

Why do they make me wear this? I can hardly move!

Right, who said that about my teeth? Where are you?

Those familiar with Lord of the Rings lore are going to recognize the locations lined-up for the game - Pelennor Fields, Minas Tirith and such. Before playing campaign missions (or during), players will be able to select 4 character classes such as the warrior, scout, mage and archer. Each of these uses different combat styles. Playing as the archer, naturally, means you'll be using your bow and arrows and there are handy special moves such as the poison-arrow or the triple-shot. Warrior, on the other hand, use broadswords, while scouts are very fast and equipped with daggers. Lightning bolts and such are the main attack of the mage class, so if you're into magic, you're gonna want to pick this one.

In this segment we had the opportunity to check out the evil campaign, where the first mission sees Sauron's orcs rioting because they've realized he's about to get his ass kicked by men of Middle-earth (I think that's one of the gayest sentences I've ever said). Now, this part of the game was quite cool, seeing as it gives gamers a chance to play as Ring Wraiths. Playing as a Ring Wraith you will be swift and merciless, as you sweep across the area in an attempt to quell the pitiful orc rebellion. After that, you must locate and kill Frodo before he throws the One Ring into fires of Mount Doom. This seemed like a rather interesting perspective to offer players. Combat is fairly standard. Light and heavy attacks are pulled off until you've charged a meter shown on the bottom of the screen. Once charged, the accumulated energy is used to perform special moves and exceptionally powerful attacks.

The LotR magic is definitely present. The developers have also shown the Mines of Moria level, as well as the famous battle scene outside the Black Gates. In the Black Gates area, the forces of good are about ready to march at Sauron's porch. The battle kicks off as the huge gates start opening, letting swarms of enemies into the fray. Moving around won't be a problem during battles either, since there are mounts at your disposal, such as horses (and wargs if you've sided with the bad guys).

We have to say that Lord of the Rings: Conquest seems like could achieve considerable online presence. The game will offer two-player cooperative play and will support online 16-player adversarial modes. You'll be able to go into battle with your friends and you may expect reinforcements in the form of AI-controlled fighters.

The release is months away, with Pandemic and EA targeting this Holiday season. Some major polishing still awaits the development team, but regardless there's great potential here.