Lord of the Rings Online - Previews @ IGN, GameSpy

Both IGN and GameSpy have hands-on looks at Lord of the Rings Online.  Here's a bit from GameSpy:

Creating another complete "side" with parallel PvE and questing structure for players to join Sauron's forces in the main game doesn't really work either. For one thing, there is simply no IP-based reason for an Orc and a Free People player to not try to slaughter each other as soon as they make eye contact. That would require a universal PvP structure antithetical to the kind of casual gamers and Tolkien fans Turbine's looking to attract. It would also kill the feeling of being in Tolkien's world pretty fast when a constant stream of Orc players is slaughtering everything that moves in the Shire. Still, given the popularity of PvP among a significant minority of the player base, Turbine wanted to offer that to players. Their interesting solution is called "Monster Play," a subsidiary combat, quest and reward system that feeds the need for PvP players from both sides while restricting it to ways that retain the flavor of the IP.