Konami’s latest press release revealed that MGS: Peace Walker is built around a central hub design. While I’ve yet to have any hands-on experience with the title (unlike Jamie), I’ve thoroughly played and replayed it’s four predecessors in the Solid series and this is definitely a big change in a series that typically keeps you on the move sneaking around enemy territory.

However, even though a hub may not have made sense for the previous installations, it sounds like it will be put to good use in Peace Walker. It is, after all, a Metal Gear game built primarily with a multiplayer experience in mind, so at this point a hub doesn’t really seem like that big of a change.

You can read an excerpt from the press release regarding how the new design aspect will be put to use below. There may also be mention of enemy robots that sing during battle (seriously).

The first major reveal is the Mother Base off shore plant, which acts as a hub for items and personnel collected within the game. During the course of METAL GEAR SOLID: PEACE WALKER, users can recruit felled adversaries and transport them to the Mother Base sea rig by using the Fulton Recovery System. Recruited soldiers each have unique attributes that allow them to support Snake and other characters in a variety of ways. By gathering more staff, players will be able to expand Mother Base and gain access to new functions. Mother Base also acts as a development area for Snake, where collated information can be used to create and also upgrade all-new armaments.

And keeping in line with typical Kojima weirdness, here’s news about AI that will sing as they shoot you.

METAL GEAR SOLID: PEACE WALKER also introduces new AI Weapons – giant unmanned behemoths that Snake must overcome to complete his mission. These include hover, airborne, and tank-style vehicles. Each AI Weapon can speak and even sing during battle using VOCALOID technology, hinting at a surprising level of intelligence.

Behold your operatic executioners:

Looks like GladDOS will have some competition at the AI talent show when Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker launches this March in Japan.