EA has announced today that it is crafting a new Middle-earth RPG called The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age. Coming to PS2, GameCube, Xbox and Game Boy Advance, the title is being developed by EA's Redwood Shores studio (the GBA version is being developed by Amaze Entertainment and Griptonite) and is set to be released some time in fall 2004.

GameSpy has the first three images from the game which depict a huge drum-pounding cave troll; an elf and what seems to be an axe-wielding human doing battle in a cave-style environment. There's a good chance these guys are duking it out in the Mines of Moria.

The game sees the player take on the roles of new characters who must choose their own paths through the lands of Middle-earth in the same timeframe as that of the three epic movies. Players will start out battling on the side of The Fellowship, but over time, additional encounters can be unlocked where the player will be able to fight on the side of Sauron's dark forces. As a whole, players will be able to influence the success of failure of The Fellowship based on how they handle certain quests and events.

Drums in the deep
Throughout the game, the player will follow the bigger picture storyline presented by the movies, while also being able to pursue other individual quests, too. Using an innovative turn-based combat system, gamers will be forced to encounter the Balrog of Moria, defend the gates of Osgiliath or even take a stab at destroying the fortress at Helm's Deep.

At this stage, it's not known if The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age will feature any kind of multiplayer modes -- either online or offline -- but GameSpy is all set to bring you more information about the game as it becomes available. Until then, sit back and enjoy the screens.