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.