News of somebody loving BioShock isn’t much to sing and dance about anymore; since its launch, the creepy underwater shooter has had critics falling over one another to festoon it with superlatives. Even Gears of War designer Cliff Bleszinski has now joined the adoring throngs, claiming that BioShock has already earned his vote for the best overall title of 2007.

"Bioshock [sic] is hands down my game of the year. That's right, I said it. I was looking forward to coming home from work and firing this bad boy up throughout the entire experience," gushed the Cliffster on his blog. "Last time that happened was RE4 and God of War(s.) I'm not just saying this because it uses our technology or because I'm friends with some of the team members, no, it is in fact a phenomenal blend of well paced horror, narrative, action and meta RPG moments."

Apparently, CliffyB loves his "passive narrative," a technique used extensively by BioShock that allows players to explore as much or as little of the game’s story as they wish.

"The best part about the game is the fact that the majority of the narrative is what I like to call, simply 'passive narrative'," he wrote. "There's a recording on a desk, there's a painting or a picture on the wall - you want to ignore them as a gamer, fine, you won't get any story. But you know what? Few people would ignore them and if a person is that determined to undermine the coolness of their interactive experience they're going to find a way."

Agreed - now let this be the last of the BioShock eulogising, at least until it picks up every GOTY gong going later this year.