Electronic Arts promises that the SimCity franchise will “reclaim the city building crown” with the release of SimCity five and SimCity Social for Facebook.

The SimCity 5 demo highlighted the brand-new engine the developed for the title, called the Glass Engine. For the first time ever the SimCity franchise is taken into the multiplayer space with challenges and online play. You’ll be able to play against friends or take on players in your region. Decisions that you make will affect not only your city but those around you.

The SimCity 5 engine looks promising, with detailed buildings that seemed to almost construct themselves and individual cars that drive along your cities’ streets. the second trailer even hinted at some of the disasters that we may see in the game including a T Rex attack, surprisingly there was a subtle reference to 1996’s Sim Copter with the inclusion of a helicopter as the logo zooms out.

Details surrounding SimCity Social were scant, the brief trailer showcased traditional two-dimensional artwork reminiscent of the earlier sin city games. The trailer even took jabs at Zyngas city bill promising that SimCity social will be “less ville & more city”.