Creative Director for Lord of the Rings: White Council Chris Tremmel revealed in an interview that the game will be a big-open world RPG. In the game, you are most welcome to explore middle-earth at your own leisure. It's pretty much a do-what-you-want and go- where-you-want  setup. Aside from the fighting, there will also be alternative activities for your character like fishing, crafting, resource gathering, and loads of mini games that'll keep you busy.

The combat style will be "absolutely real-time", and they have incorporated the stat and equipment system in the real-time system.

Tremmel also explained that the Project Gray website will now feature new message boards with categories. He also apologized for the delay on the website updates, explaining that they were primarily busy with trying to get some of the main systems of the game up and running.

While those information will certainly up the anticipation for the game, it was obvious that Tremmel wanted to divulge more, but the interviewer kept cutting him off in the middle of his answers. Too bad, we would've wanted to hear more features of the massive game. Well, we're pretty sure more details will trickle in before the game hits the retail shops.

Download: [Chris Tremmel Interview - LOTR: White Council]

The Lord of the Rings: The White Council, is the newest RPG from Electronic Arts (EA) set to be shipped in late 2007. Initially clothed in mystery, EA revealed in July at its annual summer showcase in California, that indeed, the latest LOTR installment is under development as an "open world" role-playing game for the PC, the PS3, and Xbox 360.

Being molded to provide an overarching plot much like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, the White Council gameplay will feature numerous quests where players will also be able to create man, elf, dwarf, or hobbit characters.

LOTR stars Ian McKellen, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett and Christopher Lee have committed to lending their voices and likenesses to the game.

In the meantime, here are some new artworks of the enchanting LOTR: The White Council.

 

After months of rumors, intriguing screenshots, and press releases shrouded in mystery, Electronic Arts (EA) finally revealed what Project Gray really is. During a presentation at the Studio Showcase event in San Francisco, EA surprised the audience by confirming that Project Gray is the latest installment in the Lord of the Rings franchise. In addition, the next-gen action RPG real name was revealed: Lord of the Rings: The White Council. This was revealed a couple of days after EA confirmed that another LOTR game is in development.

With the official announcement comes new information about the game, starting off with the storyline.

The game takes us back 80 years before the events of the LOTR series when Aragorn is just 10 years old and Bilbo has yet to find his precious ring. Players will be able to build up a character to become worthy of joining the White Council. Those familiar with Tolkien's work would know that the White Council is a group of elders, which includes Gandalf, Galadriel, and a yet-to-turn-evil Saruman. Before becoming an agent of the Council, a player will have to complete tasks and fight off the evil that threatens Middle-Earth.

The game will also feature newly-invented characters and environments, though we suspect that the developers wouldn't stray far from the LOTR landscape. Executive producer Steve Gray, who also played lead developer The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age, confirmed that the game will use design elements from The Two Towers and Return of the King. Ian McKellen, Hugo Weaving, Cate Blanchett, and Christopher Lee will be voicing the game-counterparts to their movie characters. Gray showed off a trailer that features breathtaking landscapes and scenery that looked like they were taken straight out of the movies.

The White Council is slated for an autumn 2007 release, but there has been no confirmation on which platform it'll arrive on. Previous EA press releases have stated that the game is in development for PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.

To reflect the change, EA has updated the Project Gray website. There's nothing much to see, but Tolkien fans can sign up for the newsletter.