Gentlemen (and ladies), the closest thing to Bioshock is not System Shock 2, it's not Fallout, it's not Half-Life 2 and it's certainly not Call of Duty. The closest thing to Bioshock is Metroid Prime. Bioshock is a first-person adventure. If exploration, atmosphere and plot are not the main things you're looking for, if they are not enough to make this an amazing game in your opinion, then it simply will not be that to you.
On the flip side, fighting soldiers is not my favourite thing about any game. Take Half-Life 2 - an amazing story, told with precision - and often very interesting to look at, as well. Still, it was so very painful whenever I was running around another abandoned apartment full of combine soldiers or trudging through another freaking sewer full of barnacles and radioactive waste. I can also only assume that your complaints about boring, generic weapons would apply times two to that game. Apart from the gravity gun (AKA Telekinesis), I couldn't even remember a single gun from that game without looking up a guide.
I've never had the slightest desire to touch a single one of the hundred World War II shooters that come out every year, no matter the 'tight controls' or 'fascinating tactical gameplay'. A hundred rave reviews of COD4 and Killzone 2, but I'd rather eat something out of the Iron Stomach Challenge. At least that would be over with in a few short minutes.
It's not that I can't appreciate tight controls or strategic gameplay or that I wouldn't notice the pretty graphics. It's just that I don't care. Those things are not interesting enough to me that I would want to play those games. If those were the only things games had to offer me... well, let's just say I'd have a lot more time for the important things in life.
What I want from games is a chance to visit someone's imagination, to see what kind of world is in their mind. I think it'd be pretty hard to put the setting of Bioshock in such a light as to make it seem unoriginal or uninteresting.
Okay, so the shooting is perhaps not on par with some other shooters. I'll concede that you're likely better equipped to make that judgment than I am. I disagree about the weapon selection, seeing how every weapon has three distinct ammo loadouts and given the additional use of plasmids and tonics. Fact is, this problem is solved by one of your other complaints: the 'easy' checkpoint system. If you find the combat boring, guess what - even if your boredom or frustration make you sloppy, you'll still get through after a few tries thanks to the vita-chamber. Just move on to the next thrilling chapter!
After all, the 'challenge' isn't the point. The carrot on the stick is not 'winning', but rather seeing what's next. If that's not enough for you, then hey - guess what, I'm back to the beginning of this post.
P.S. JUST FOR MATT. The complaint about being able to 'break' the challenge of the main gameplay mechanic kinda reminds me of a certain other game discussion... I guess it doesn't bother you that there's exploits in this game for anyone who cares to look?
