Nintendo recently got the chance to do a Q&A with the Executive Producer of Lord of The Rings: The Third Age. Read on for the full interview...

Q: How long has The Third Age been in development? At what point during the movie trilogy's making did the idea for a Lord of the Rings movie-based RPG first come up?

We've been thinking about building an RPG for Lord of the Rings since we got the license. Honestly, I've been thinking about building a Lord of the Rings RPG for at least 10 years, I was just waiting for a chance to do it.

Q: What's the game's plot, without giving away too much? How much of the trilogy (during, before, and after) is covered by the game?

We cover locations and story points from all three movies. Some of the highlights in the story are Khazad Dum, Helm's Deep, Osgiliath, and Minas Tirith.

Q: If players already know how the trilogy turns out, how do you keep things interesting? Can events you saw in the film go differently in the game timeline?

You are playing as Player-created characters who need to find their way through Middle-earth and participate in the story in interesting and deeply meaningful ways. The Player will build and experience a story wrapped around the thrilling events of Peter Jackson's films. Like any game, you can influence the events -- it wouldn't be very much fun if you always win!

Q: For Tolkien fans, a title like The Third Age implies a lot. How much license do you have to pick up where Return of the King left off? Can or do you use any of Tolkien's non-trilogy notes or writings?

Our game revolves around events -- both major and minor -- depicted in all three films. We are working closely with New Line Cinema to delve deeper into the events of the films.

Q: How does the "branching" work for light and shadow -- will you be playing in different areas, or playing the same areas in different ways?

As you play through the game you'll have the opportunity to experience turn-based RPG style combat from both sides. The story remains fundamentally the same, but you can win individual encounters as either good or evil.

Q: What scenes will "intersect" the game's plot from the movie? What kind of areas can we expect that weren't in the film? Can you give a rough percentage breakdown of "non-movie areas" vs. "movie areas"?

You will definitely experience the pivotal moments from the films -- two good examples are the fight with the Balrog in Khazad Dum, and the encounter between Eowyn, Merry, and the Witch King on the Pelennor Fields.

Q: We understand you play as one principal character that you generate -- is this correct? What kind of character creation options (both visual and "stat sheet"-style) will you have? Are there any "classes" to choose?

You will be able to configure, manage, develop skills, and equip items on your entire party. You will acquire more party members during the course of the game. There will be both good and evil parties.

Q: Can you explain some of your character development options; i.e. your leveling-up system, and what kind of skills your character(s) will acquire?

The questing, skill and inventory system will be familiar to anyone who has played RPGs in the past -- with some cool innovations of our own!

Q: Can you explain the turn-based combat system for us?

The turn-based combat system will also be familiar to RPG Players. However just like the quests, skills, and inventory, there will be some key innovations that will attract players to the game.

Q: Is the rules system based on an existing one (like D&D or White Wolf, for example), or is it custom-made? The game is based on our own mechanics.

Q: Do you see this game as more for hardcore Final Fantasy-style RPG gamers, or as something more accessible to a wider audience?

The films themselves are so accessible we believe that a wider audience will find our game compelling. There will be enough deep content and complexity to the game systems that core RPG Players will definitely not be disappointed -- however we will make sure to ramp the experience so that more casual Players will be able to find their way into the experience.

Q: How many hours do you anticipate it will it take to beat the game? Any replay incentives?

Too early to comment on that. However just the fact that you can play good and evil implies a lot of replay value.

Q: Are there any online components?

Right now we aren't planning to support online. We're still looking into the possibility however.

Q: How long can a licensed property continue to be successful once the series is "over"? Are there any other LOTR games in the works (another "hack and slash" like Two Towers or ROTK?)

We have an outstanding RTS game called The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth in development for the PC. It's scheduled for release this fall and it looks fantastic.

Q: Is Peter Jackson or any of the film cast or crew directly involved with The Third Age? Is anyone recording new voice-over?

We're using voiceover from the film actors as well as motion capture data from the stunt doubles used in the films for our fighting animations. As with our previous The Lord of the Rings games, there's a strong partnership with New Line so that we start with the same 'blueprint' of Middle-earth from an asset standpoint.

Q: What's your take on the current RPG market? Did Knights of the Old Republic's success change anything? Did you learn anything from that particular game?

I believe the RPG market is very strong and growing. I also believe that Lord of the Rings is the quintessential RPG story. It's a perfect fit.

Q: Are there any role-playing cliches you're actively trying to avoid? Do you have any innovations or new ideas you're introducing that you're particularly fond of?

We have some really cool innovations to the skill tree and combat systems. I think players will be really jazzed when they get their hands on this game.

Q: What games have you previously worked on, and in what role?

I've worked on the two currently released Electronic Arts Lord of the Rings games: The Two Towers and The Return of the King. I also directed one of Square's RPGs -- Parasite Eve -- and was involved with the Final Fantasy series.