2KGames announced yesterday the official street dates for the highly anticipated first person shooter BioWare. In North America the game will hit the shelves on August 21st. In Europe, look for it on August 24th. BioWare is a 'Microsoft' exclusive, as the game is only available for the Xbox 360 and PC (Games for Windows).

1. It takes place among the ruins of a 1960s Art Deco-infused underwater utopian metropolis called Rapture, which collapsed under the weight of its own idealism.

2. This utopia is loosely based on Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged.

3. It's being touted as a "next generation shooter", with free roaming, RPG elements, smart AI, and the ability to replay the game and have a "totally different experience".

4. It has a mid-August release date. For some reason, I always find myself playing creepy games in August. What's more, few games come out in August, and rarely does a big title come out in August. What does this mean? I don't know, but I like it.

"Cult of Rapture" site - 2KGames site chock full of BioShock goodness and information.

Official BioShock site - Full of flashy and creepy goodness.