Irrational's BioShock Revealed

As we already reported a couple of days ago, GameSpot's "retrospective" System Shock 2 article was in preparation of Irrational's newest title, which tonight we learn is called BioShock. According to GameSpot's two-page spread, the game is a "spiritual successor" to System Shock 2 and falls in the same vein as other first-person RPGs like Deus Ex. An excerpt:
But as it turns out, the material that drones harvest is also the currency of the strange new world of BioShock. As such, you'll spend a good deal of the game trying to devise both direct and indirect means of acquiring harvested DNA from drones without incurring the wrath of a hungry predator or a protective soldier. This genetic material can take the form of "plasmids," which are essentially DNA implants that you can inject into your body to grant a wide array of enhanced abilities--including powers that can indirectly help you take advantage of your environment. By implanting the proper plasmids in your body, you may be able to affect your body's resistance to extreme air pressure or extreme temperatures. This ability will come in handy in the complex's climate-controlled areas, where switches that affect the area's temperature can be used to manipulate the environment. So for instance, if you're in a room full of enemies that are vulnerable to intense heat, and you have a plasmid that resists heat, you can safely turn the room's thermostat all the way up, putting your enemies at a disadvantage while you remain relatively safe. Another plasmid ability that was suggested was the ability to survive unnatural air pressure. With this plasmid, players would be able to use a pressurization switch to change the air pressure in a room to the extent that sound simply wouldn't carry as far. This would effectively give your character the ability to stealthily move with less chance of being heard, but your own hearing would also be compromised by the pressure drop as well.

For even more information about the game, be sure to check out GameSpot's media section for an interview with Irrational Games' Ken Levine.