Detailed screenshots and a new trailer show that some of the SimCity series' city-wrecking moments are to return, with meteor showers, earthquakes, tornadoes and alien invasions part of a suite of disasters available to (or visited upon) the game's players.
As its title suggests, anticiapted February 2013 release SimCity puts players in charge of an urban conurbation, from water pipes and roads to zoning, leisure pursuits, and political rule.
Though a weekend webcast illustrated the game's desire to integrate the intricacies of creating an urban-planning game that's both complex and accessible, sometimes there's nothing better than building a sandcastle before knocking it down, or setting up a line of dominoes only to watch them topple.
And so disasters retain their place within the SimCity canon of game events, with earthquakes, meteor showers, tornados, even alien invasions all featuring.
Of course, in the nine-year absence, many other SimCity alternatives have been making a case for themselves.
Count among those the Tropico and Anno series, both of which have become home to several intruiging entries; Zynga's Facebook-friendly CityVille, itself a riff on SimCity; established city- and empire-building brands in The Settlers and Age of Empires have launched free-to-play schemes.
SimCity itself hasn't been left behind, opening the doors to Facebook's SimCity Social in June 2012, and it would appear that various social perks are being primed for inclusion to February's fuller game.
"Even if you're playing solo, you'll still be able to participate in our 'SimCity World' features which include things like leaderboards and challenges," said assistant Ppoducer Jason Haber in an October 10 Maxis webcast.
SimCity Disaster Trailer: youtu.be/RodekwSyo40
Official website: simcity.com
