I've always played the game with vita-chambers off. Gameplay is much more fun without them.
Also just doing it on hard. The game is rather difficult until you get Hypnotize Big Daddy (which is far too early), then you can kill Big Daddies with virtually no problems, and the splicers are...
Bioshock
9/10
Rather good game, even if it does only one thing good: Rapture. The story's not fabulous, the gameplay is sorta meh, it has awful stability and the graphics are kinda outdated today. But Rapture, man, Rapture...
Gotta play the bunch of games I bought during Christmas sales now.
I actually found the little sister escort fun, probably because Proving Grounds was the only remarkable location after Hephaestus. Then again, I didn't have any problems with it.