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The next part of the epic story picks up where Volume III: Book I – The Oath of the Rangers left off. With the rangers assembled, players will be tasked with carrying a banner crafted by Arwen to Aragorn in the south and that is the focus of the next part of the storyline. The new lands in the south will be home to many tribes that Sarumon has yet to turn to his will. So players will have the chance to see the area before it has been heavily corrupted by Sarumon. This also leads to some possible changes in the future as Sarumon tightens his grip on the area and extends his influence.

There are also some new features that will be introduced with the Volume III: Book II update. Turbine Executive Producer Kate Paiz explained one of the most notable ones to us with a new system that will allow the dungeons of LotRO to scale by level. This will allow players to return to older dungeons such as The Great Barrows and experience it all over again at an appropriate level. Loot will also scale, so there should be plenty of shiny items to go around.

Another feature will involve new Session Play content that will allow players to experience the game as a Ranger and learn about Aragorn’s forefathers. Previously, Rangers could only be used in PvMP, so the new Session Play missions will offer a chance to experience one of the Rangers in PvE and learn more about the lineage of one of LotRO’s most notable characters.

Enedwaith will introduce four new dungeons to the game that will be associated with the new epic storyline. Three of those dungeons will be solo instances and the fourth will be an open world dungeon, much like the Bree reputation dungeon of Haudh Iarchith. While there won’t be a focus on the group instance game with this update, Turbine representatives ensured us that new instances are on the books for the following update.

The new content certainly looks interesting and the new land mass will provide between 80 and 200 new quests. And while it was a bit disappointing that the reveal was not the anticipated expansion into Rohan, this update will certainly set us on the path to get there sometime next year.

Sony has lifted the lid on the games it hopes to release over the next 12 months, with 3D a key aspect of the new range.

At a press briefing at the E3 games expo, Sony outlined its plans for PlayStation 3 and its PSP handheld.

Sony said a recent software update had made all 35 million PlayStations sold 3D-ready.

The firm also announced details for its new motion controller, PlayStation Move.

The centrepiece of the launch was a demo from the upcoming Killzone 3, which Sony described as a “technological showpiece”. The fast-paced 3D action shooter was displayed on a giant screen.

Kazuo Hirai, Sony Computer Entertainments chairman, said the combination of 3D gaming and its new motion controller would result in “the closest thing you will ever experience to being in the game yourself.”

Sony also used its keynote briefing to demonstrate games for its motion-sensor control system, PlayStation Move, which goes on sale in Europe on the September 15, in North America on September 19, and in Japan on October 21.

The PlayStation Move wand and navigation controllers will be sold separately in the US for $49.99 and $29.99 respectively. They can also be bought together in a bundle which also includes the PS3 camera accessory and a game which makes use of the PlayStation Move interface, Sports Champions, for $99.99.

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