Lord of the Rings Conquest gets release date

Gird yourself for war in Middle Earth - Star Wars Battlefront style!

We're a bunch of nerds here at Atomic. When a game comes along that lets us indulge our combined passion for gaming, literary pretention and hitting things with swords, we're happier than a pig in muck.

The game we're currently drooling for is Lord of the Rings: Conquest, and today it finally got a release date. Come January 15 next year, we'll all be able to enjoy the epic War of the Ring on PS3, Xbox 360 and PC.

"Players will finally be able to fight through Middle-earth along the frontlines of good or evil," says Josh Resnick, co-founder and general manager at Pandemic Studios. "And what Lord of the Rings fan hasn’t fantasised about joining Sauron’s army to slay Hobbits?"

Well, maybe not us (damned goody-two-shoes that we are), but nonetheless, this Battlefront style game will - providing it doesn't suck - provide a whole new way to get into Lord of the Rings. The game features two campaigns - Evil and Good - as well five classes to enjoy in some huge multiplayer battles ranging from the Siege of Helm's Deep to the Battle at the Black Gates.

To tide folks over until release, we've got a gallery of pics EA kindly sent along today to whet your appetite.