Bioshock Plasmid Guide - So Many To Choose From, So Which Do You Pick?

The long-awaited Bioshock was a smashing success in August 2007. Gamers loved to battle their way through the Art Deco-styled underwater city with the game's steampunk weaponry and a variety of plasmids. Plasmids - a result of genetic engineering - can be injected to induce mutations which give the user awesome powers. Serious mad scientist stuff, for sure. There are many more plasmids than you have slots for however, so which ones are you going to use? Here is a rundown of all of the Bioshock plasmids.

By "offensive," I mean that these plasmids are more suited to direct attacks.

Incinerate - With a quick motion of your fingers, you can shoot a massive fireball that will engulf enemies and set them ablaze.

Telekinesis - Any self-respecting science fiction nerd should know this one. Telekinesis allows you to move objects with your mind; useful for flinging objects at enemies.

Electrobolt - With this plasmid, you can fire bolts of electricity at your foes, momentarily stunning them.

Insect Swarm - One of the more fun - albeit disturbing - plasmids. Turn your forearm into an insect hive and send a wave of hornets at your foes. They'll be distracted for a while as they swat away their attackers.

Winter Blast - One of the coolest powers (literally), Winter Blast allows you to freeze an enemy in a solid block of ice. Afterwards, one whack of your wrench will shatter them into a million tiny pieces.

Cyclone Trap - Get ready to manipulate the weather ala Storm from the X-Men. With this plasmid, you can create a giant spinning vortex that will scoop up enemies and send them flying upwards.

Sonic Boom - This plasmid was added later in a content patch. Sonic Boom sends a shockwave that damages everything stands in front of you.

Unlike the offensive plasmids, the defensive ones are useful for distracting foes, causing them to attack something other than you - sometimes even each other!

Target Dummy - Not an offensive plasmid, but very useful nonetheless. Target dummy creates a - surprise! - target dummy that will distract enemies for a while.

Enrage - As the name suggests, this power will enrage a target, causing them to attack the closest moving thing. This could very well be you, so be careful as to when you use it.

Security Bullseye - Like the Enrage plasmid, this is good for using your enemies to attack other enemies. Hitting a foe with this power will cause security turrets and bots to attack them.

Hypnotize Big Daddy - I saved my favorite for last - well, next to last anyway. Hypnotize Big Daddy will take those rough and tough armored monsters (who so love to smash you into walls) and transform them into your guardian angels - temporarily, at least.

So there you have it! Those are all eleven Bioshock plasmids. The maximum you can equip in the game is six, so choose wisely! If you haven't played Bioshock yet, be sure to read our Bioshock review!