Trophy support is also a novel addition, though 360 owners used to achievements won’t find any bonuses here. Nevertheless, considering the lack of Trophy support for PS3 software, it’s great that 2K Games was nice enough to oblige our Trophy addiction. For those who already know their way around Rapture, you might want to show off to your friends and go for a Platinum.

The biggest addition to BioShock has to be that of Survivor difficulty. The subtext associated with this difficulty choice says it all: “Survivor - Every Bullet Counts.” This difficulty setting remains largely the same as Hard, however, you will not be coddled by frequent ammo, health, EVE, and cash drops. You will have to make do with much less, and, as a result, will suffer your way through fights, relying heavily upon Plasmids and liquor (alcohol slightly buffs your EVE meter at the cost of Health). This difficulty setting can get very frustrating, but is definitely a nice challenge.

The most disappointing aspect of BioShock for PS3 has to be the inexplicable absence of the touted Challenge Rooms. At E3 2008, I sat in on 2K Games’ presentation of the Challenge Rooms, and I was really impressed. Challenge Rooms, according to the presentation, were extravagant mini-levels. The Challenge Room featured at E3 had Jack trying to free a Little Sister who was stuck at the top of a Ferris Wheel. The goal in the room was to find a way to get her down before it was too late. The demonstration had players seeking out various electrical sources and items strewn throughout the level. However, Jack was never directly given the Electric Plasmid. Nevertheless, with the meager tools provided, he was able to dismantle traps and get the job done. The demo took us about half way through the level when, all of a sudden, a ton of Splicers flooded the room right before the demo ended. This hinted at a huge amount of variety and replayability for the PS3 version that is simply not available out of the box. This is very unfortunate, as Challenge Rooms seemed like a dynamic feature that was truly going to set the PS3 version apart. Consequently, I would venture to speculate that the Challenge Rooms will no longer be free or exclusive to the PS3. Challenge Rooms will likely be a tacked on DLC with a limited window of exclusivity. We’ll have to wait and see, but the grayed-out “Downloaded Content” option on the main menu seems to confirm this assumption.

In conclusion, BioShock for PS3 may not be as impressive as I thought it was going to be, but that’s not to say it isn’t the definitive version; it is. And the definitive version of one of the best console games ever made spells “must-buy” for the uninitiated. Nevertheless, the lack of Challenge Rooms was rather disappointing, but, thankfully, many of the glitches have been resolved. Additionally, the visuals are even better than ever (if that’s possible), and the Survivor difficulty setting should have Sony fans tearing their hair out.

By Jonathan Marx
CCC Editor / News Director