November 2^nd, 2004 (11:22pm) - Electronic Arts announced today that The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age has shipped and will be on store shelves in time for the holiday season. The epic quest, in which players will take on the roles of previously unplayable characters choosing their own path through Middle-earth while interacting with the heroes and villains of the movie trilogy, is available for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, and Game Boy Advance.

Based on New Line Cinema and Peter Jackson’s acclaimed film adaptations of J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic The Lord of the Rings trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age videogame allows players to adventure through Middle-earth, building a party of heroes as they journey. Players battle on the side of the Fellowship, but can unlock additional encounters where they fight on the side of Sauron as they progress. In the game, players will interact with key characters of the Fellowship in a unique structure, taking on individual quests while intersecting the major events of the film trilogy that drive the story forward such as the epic battles at Helm’s Deep and Minas Tirith. Parties will traverse through both familiar and seldom-glimpsed locations, using an innovative turn-based battle system as they fight, encountering the demonic Balrog in the Mines of Moria, or defending the fallen city of Osgiliath.

The Lord the Rings, The Third Age, was developed by EA’s Redwood Shores studio (Amaze Entertainment developed for the Game Boy Advance), the same studio that developed the hit The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King game. The game is rated "T" (Teen) with descriptor Violence by the ESRB and has MSRPs of $49.95 (PlayStation 2 console, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube) and $29.95 (Game Boy Advance).