Are you "shocked"? We aren't.

2K Games is proudly proclaiming that their art deco first-person shooter BioShock has secured the position of all-time top ranked Xbox 360 game on mega-review site Metacritic. And if that isn't enough to impress, then you should also know that BioShock is also the top ranked game across all console platforms. 

2K Games also says that the good word about BioShock is 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 mention our fine establishment. 

Congrats to 2K Games on a job well done. 

The full press release is after the jump.

New York, NY - September 10, 2007 -2K Games, a publishing label of

Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), announced today that

BioShock, its hit title exclusively available for Xbox 360(tm) video

game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Games for Windows(r),

secured the position of all-time top ranked Xbox 360 game* and the

year's highest ranked game across all console platforms on

Metacritic.com, the popular site that aggregates review scores from the

leading video game publications and websites. In addition, the title has

set a new record on Xbox LIVE* as the fastest downloaded demo to ever

reach the 1 million mark. The gaming community first learned that the

Xbox 360(tm) demo version of BioShock became available to download on

Microsoft's Xbox LIVE Marketplace via a surprise announcement on August

12.

While many games receive high praise for a specific feature, BioShock's
rave reception revolves around all of its key components. This includes
the unique art deco design, the eerie ambiance of its full orchestra
score and the 40's era soundtrack, the interactive quality of the
environments, dripping and flood-rushing water effects that have set a
new standard for realism, a deep and engaging story line, and gameplay
that involves moral choices, an array of options for surmounting
obstacles and adversaries, and a power-up component that involves
biologically altering your character.

In only nine days since its release on Xbox LIVE, BioShock had
outperformed every other demo release on the service, demonstrating both
the incredible anticipation for the game and the growth of Xbox LIVE's
community.

"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."

With an overall review score of 96 (out of 100) based on more than 50
different critical reviews, the Xbox 360 version of BioShock has earned
"Universal Acclaim" status* on Metacritic.  Among the leading video game
enthusiast outlets that awarded one or more versions of BioShock with a
perfect 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 things
never before possible in the genre. Gamers enter the game as a castaway
in Rapture, a decaying art deco 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,
fascinating characters and morality defining choices. To make it to the
end, 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. No encounter ever plays out the same and no
two gamers will play BioShock the same way.