Are you “shocked”? We aren’t.
2K Games is proudly proclaiming that their art deco first-person shooterBioShockhas secured the position of all-time top ranked Xbox 360 game on mega-review siteMetacritic. And if that isn’t enough to impress, then you should also know thatBioShockis also the top ranked game across all console platforms.
2K Games also says that the good word aboutBioShockis getting out, and they have proof. The title has set a new record on Xbox LIVE as the fastest downloaded demo to ever each the 1 million mark. They say that it only took nine days from its August 12th release to outperform all other demos ever released on the service. Wow.
“We are really pleased that Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE Marketplace has managed to attract a record number of gamers to its site to download and check out BioShock,” said Christoph Hartmann, President of 2K. “The overwhelmingly positive response is not only reflected in the traffic to Xbox LIVE, but the record breaking score reported by Metacritic. We’re excited about the reception the fans have given BioShock and are honored that the game has been recognized as ‘Game of the Year’ material.”
More than 50 reviews have averaged out to a score of 96 on Metacritic, giving it a “Universal Acclaim” rating on the site. Those that follow and use the site will tell you that this accomplishment is truly rare. On top of all of that, the game has managed to rack up perfect scores from several game news outlets like Game Informer, 1UP, Games Radar, GameSpy, GamePro, Yahoo! Games, Games Daily, and Electronic Gaming Monthly, not to mentionour fine establishment.
Congrats to 2K Games on a job well done.
The full press release is after the jump.
While many games receive high praise for a specific feature, BioShock’srave reception revolves around all of its key components. This includesthe unique art deco design, the eerie ambiance of its full orchestrascore and the 40’s era soundtrack, the interactive quality of theenvironments, dripping and flood-rushing water effects that have set anew standard for realism, a deep and engaging story line, and gameplaythat involves moral choices, an array of options for surmountingobstacles and adversaries, and a power-up component that involvesbiologically altering your character.
In only nine days since its release on Xbox LIVE, BioShock hadoutperformed every other demo release on the service, demonstrating boththe incredible anticipation for the game and the growth of Xbox LIVE’scommunity.
“We are really pleased that Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE Marketplace hasmanaged to attract a record number of gamers to its site to download andcheck out BioShock,” said Christoph Hartmann, President of 2K. “Theoverwhelmingly positive response is not only reflected in the traffic toXbox LIVE, but the record breaking score reported by Metacritic. We’reexcited about the reception the fans have given BioShock and are honoredthat the game has been recognized as ‘Game of the Year’ material.”
With an overall review score of 96 (out of 100) based on more than 50different critical reviews, the Xbox 360 version of BioShock has earned“Universal Acclaim” status* on Metacritic. Among the leading video gameenthusiast outlets that awarded one or more versions of BioShock with aperfect score are Game Informer, 1UP, Games Radar, GameSpy, GamePro,Yahoo! Games, Games Daily, and Electronic Gaming Monthly.
Developed by 2K Boston and 2K Australia for 2K Games, BioShock is a“genetically enhanced” first-person shooter that lets players do thingsnever before possible in the genre. Gamers enter the game as a castawayin Rapture, a decaying art deco underwater utopia torn apart by civilwar. Caught between powerful forces and hunted down by geneticallymodified “splicers” and deadly security systems, players have to come togrips with a deadly, mysterious world filled with powerful technology,fascinating characters and morality defining choices. To make it to theend, players can turn everything they encounter into a weapon,biologically modify their body with plasmids, hack devices and securitysystems, upgrade weapons, craft new ammo variants, and experiment withdifferent battle techniques. No encounter ever plays out the same and notwo gamers will play BioShock the same way.
