Just started playing through again after reading all the Bioshock prerelease hype piqued my interest. I really am convinced that SS2 is the best PC game ever (possibly the best game ever), in that it delivers an experience that is wholly unlike any other game I can think of outside of the Silent Hill series in it's ability to draw you into the game world. Other games can be great fun, but truly immersive experiences are extremely rare. As for the weapon degradation and respawning, these are integral parts of the game that prevent it slipping into run and gun clichés. Early on in particular, much of the time is spent running madly at enemies attempting to rapidly club them to death before they become aware of your presence. This would have been lost if enemies were less common and weapons more available.