Today Stockers all across North America are desperately try to keep BioShock on the store shelves. But with all the hype of last weeks premature release by several stores, it looks like keeping this game on store shelves may require allot of extra work and lots of inventory. Last week there were reports of copies of BioShock going for as high as $159 on EBay. With all the hype surrounding this game on the Internet, and the great reviews this is sure to be a huge seller. European gamers will have to wait until August 24th to get their feet wet in this game.

BioShock is a “genetically enhanced” first-person shooter that lets players do things never before possible in the genre. Gamers enter the game as a castaway in Rapture, an underwater utopia torn apart by civil war. Caught between powerful forces and hunted down by genetically modified “splicers” and deadly security systems, players have to come to grips with a deadly, mysterious world filled with powerful technology and fascinating characters. No encounter ever plays out the same and no two gamers will play BioShock the same way. “With the release of BioShock, we are redefining the shooter experience by providing players with the freedom to decide how to proceed and which actions to take,” said Christoph Hartmann, President of 2K. “The teams at 2K Boston and 2K Australia have captured the essence of this underwater world and brought it to vivid life in the art design and open-ended storyline. Welcome to Rapture.” In the decaying art deco underwater city of Rapture, players can turn everything they encounter into a weapon, biologically modify their body with plasmids, hack devices and security systems, upgrade weapons, craft new ammo variants, and experiment with different battle techniques. “The development team has been working on BioShock for years to push the limits in every way possible, so we are excited for gamers to finally experience BioShock as we’ve always imagined it,” said Ken Levine, President and Creative Director of 2K Boston. “We delivered on our promise of bringing gamers a unique and enriching first-person shooter experience that not only challenges their capacity to adapt and survive, but tests their values and commitment to the inhabitants of Rapture.”

BioShock’s features include:

• Biologically modify your body with plasmids which are genetic augmentations that empower you with dozens of fantastic abilities including: send Electrobolts storming from your fingertips, unleash a swarm of hornets hatched from the veins of your arms, or strategically turn enemies against one another with irritants.
• Take control of your world by hacking devices and systems: reprogram enemy security bots into personal bodyguards, modify vending machines to change prices, and transform machine gun security turrets into powerless pieces of metal.
• Upgrade your weapons at Power-to-the-People stations located through Rapture: craft variants of ammo and plasmids by picking up materials in the city to modify them at U-Invent kiosks.
• Turn everything into a weapon: the environment, your body, fire and water, and even your worst enemies. BioShock’s free form combat options allow gameplay scenarios to be approached with a variety of weapons, active and passive plasmids, environmental objects utilization, exploitation of political alliances, or a combination of techniques. Find your style but know when to adapt.
• Explore an incredible and unique art deco world hidden deep under the ocean, vividly illustrated with realistic water effects and truly next generation graphics.
• Make meaningful and mature decisions that culminate in the ultimate question: Do you exploit the innocent survivors of Rapture to save yourself…or risk it all to become their savior?

For more information, visit the BioShock website, and the community site.