Armored Core V will be released on March 20 in North America and on March 23 in Europe for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, Namco Bandai has announced. The game promises to bring the series “the most intense and strategic mech battles yet.”

“Gamers have been eagerly anticipating the release of Armored Core V, which will bring strategic mech combat to new heights,” said Eiichi Nakajima, studio head at developer From Software. “With cooperative missions, a persistent online world battling for territories and epic team battles, Armored Core V is the complete action shooter package.”

Armored Core V features online team multiplayer battles “on a grand scale,” a “robust” offline mode, strategically-customized mechs, and a new atmosphere for the series. Players must use tactics and utilize their environment to maximize their efforts. Players can customize their own Armored Core mech with “countless” unlockable parts.

An all-new Operator Mode, which sees one player as leader, supplying his teammates with enemy positions, movements, and other details, has also been introduced.

“A quick trigger finger and razor-sharp reflexes won’t always turn the tide of battle in Armored Core V,” said Carlson Choi, Vice President of Marketing, NAMCO BANDAI Games America. “The Operator adds a new layer of strategy orchestrating his team of Armored Cores to victory by finding the enemy’s weaknesses.”

If you have a Japanese PlayStation Network or Xbox LIVE account, a demo is set to hit the services on January 26.