Just in time for it’s August 21st release date in North America, Take Two announced today that BioShock for the Xbox 360 and PC has gone Gold. Europe will see the game released on August 24th.

Players enter the game as a castaway in Rapture, an 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 dangerous and mysterious world filled with powerful technology and fascinating characters. With multiple avenues for surmounting challenges on both a moral and tactical level, no encounter ever plays out the same and no two gamers will play BioShock the same way.

Start prepping for what could be the best FPS game of the year. Yes, even better than Halo 3.

Here’s the full press release:

2K Announces BioShock^™ has Gone Gold

Genetically enhanced first-person shooter hits stores on August 21

New York, NY - August 10, 2007 - 2K, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), announced today that BioShock™ has gone to gold master exclusively for the Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system and Games For Windows. Developed by 2K Boston and 2K Australia, the renowned 2K Games development studios, BioShock is a highly anticipated video game that will be available at stores in North America on August 21, 2007 and in Europe beginning August 24, 2007.

BioShock is a first-person shooter that lets players do things never before possible in the genre. Nearly everything in the game can be turned into a weapon; players can biologically modify their bodies with plasmids, hack devices and systems, upgrade weapons and craft new ammo variants, and experiment with different battle techniques.

Players enter the game as a castaway in Rapture, an 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 dangerous and mysterious world filled with powerful technology and fascinating characters. With multiple avenues for surmounting challenges on both a moral and tactical level, no encounter ever plays out the same and no two gamers will play BioShock the same way.

Features:

• Biologically modify your body with plasmids, which are genetic augmentations that empower you with dozens of fantastic abilities including: sending Electrobolts storming from your fingertips, unleashing a swarm of hornets hatched from the veins of your arms, or strategically turning enemies against one another with irritants.
• Take control of your world by hacking devices and systems: reprogram enemy security bots into personal bodyguards, modify vending machines to change prices, and transform machine gun security turrets into powerless pieces of metal.
• Upgrade your weapons at Power-to-the-People stations located through Rapture: craft variants of ammo and plasmids by picking up materials in the city and modifying them at U-Invent kiosks.
• Turn everything into a weapon: the environment, your body, fire and water, and even your worst enemies. BioShock’s free form combat options allow gameplay scenarios to be approached with a variety of weapons: inject active and passive plasmids, utilize environmental objects, exploit political alliances, or use a combination of techniques. Find your style but know when to adapt.
• Explore an incredible and unique art deco world hidden deep under the ocean, vividly illustrated with realistic water effects and truly next generation graphics.
• Make meaningful and mature decisions that culminate in the ultimate question: Do you exploit the innocent survivors of Rapture to save yourself…or risk it all to become their savior?

For more information, visit http://www.2kgames.com/bioshock.