While runors of an EA developed System Shock 3 have yet to materialize, System Shock 2 developers Irrational Games have been working on BioShock, an already impressive looking action-RPG that has been described as a "spiritual successor" to the System Shock series. Before E3 begins, FiringSquad got a chance to chat briefly with Irrational's head man Ken Levine about BioShock.

FiringSquad: First, how did the idea for BioShock come about?

Ken Levine: We've been talking about making BioShock ever since we shipped System Shock 2 in 1999. We had so many great ideas that didn't make it into that game and we spent years saying "wouldn't it have been cool if you'd been able to do this?" BioShock is the result of those years of excited discussions.

FiringSquad: How much influence did the design for the System Shock games play into the design of BioShock?

Ken Levine: BioShock is an open ended, player driven experience, which was at the heart of both System Shock games, as well as Ultima UnderWorld and Oblivion-even, to a large extent, GTA.

But we're pretty omnivorous designers. BioShock has inspiration from sources as far and wide as Beyond Good and Evil, Dark Cloud 2, Diablo, and even Xcom!

FiringSquad: What gameplay elements in BioShock do you think will make this game stand out from the pack?

Ken Levine: Most shooters move on rail tracks. If you think about a (great) game like Half Life 2, it's basically one extended corridor that you progress through. You know, you walk down a hall, hit a trigger and monster pops up. You kill it, then you move onto the next room. BioShock has a real, breathing ecology. You may clear an area out and come back to find that something's come back in. It makes you feel like it's a real world. It also makes you feel uncomfortable and exposed.

Another important fact is that in this game, you're not the daddy. You're hungry and desperate. Most FPSs make you feel like some kind of superhero. In BioShock you're a desperate guy trying to stay alive. System Shock II had that vibe and so will BioShock.

FiringSquad: How much interaction with the game's environment will there be?

Ken Levine: We'll be talking more about this later, but I'll say this: BioShock is about opportunity. There's not one way to do anything. There's not two ways. There's hundreds of ways. And the player is going to have the chance to learn how to use his weapons, his tools, the environment and even the AIs to his advantage.

FiringSquad: What can you tell us about the visual style and graphical features of BioShock?

Ken Levine: I can honestly say that you will see something you've never seen in BioShock. We've tried to make something beautiful. Rapture was a utopia and we wanted to make it look like one. We've gone for a grand 1940s art deco style. It's visually very striking.

FiringSquad: Finally is there anything else you wish to say about BioShock

Ken Levine: We think the next generation is about choice. It's about how you want to play the game. How far are you prepared to go to survive? Would you give up your humanity? Would you kill an innocent? I think that's a hell of a decision. I want to see what gamers decide.

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