Xoanon here,
Recieved some more info on ‘The Trilogy’ a Middle-earth RPG based on the books. I personally can’t wait to play this game. I recieved this info from the Head of Platus, a very cool dude who lovingly calls himself Smeagol88. Read on.
“The Trilogy will be Developed by Platus Productions (Freestyle, gaming designers) and will be an RPG/adventure game. We have pondered over many times on how to incorporate the exact storyline into the game and add surprises to those who’ve read it while still staying true to Tolkien’s masterpiece. The result is this: an RPG game that can be played through the stories exactly as they were, but allows the player to explore Middle-Earth locations not in some of the stories (such as visiting Bree while playing The Hobbit section of the game). These extra places will allow the player to recieve items and explore places that will yield rewards for those who take on these extra challenges. So, overall the game will have main path that can be left and returned to. Fighting will be similar to that of Final Fantasy 3 (basically turn-based) and all familiar items will be included (such as mithril mail, lembas, athelas, etc.). There will be many interesting puzzles you will have to solve (similar to that of the King’s Quest series) and standard RPG/adventure game elements will be present (statistics, puzzles, trading items, vast cities, and exploration). Beta testers will be needed, though it will probably be free for download for those who want to try it out as well. Our web site will be up very soon and will answer questions you may have.
I’ve personally seen thier un-opened site and it’s really great! Hop over there when it’s online.