Electronic Arts today issued a release specifically for the purpose of touting its improved Metacritic scores at EA Sports. The publisher said its sports titles are "tracking at an increase of more than four points versus last year's games." The scores are based only on aggregate reviews of the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of EA Sports' titles.

The company highlighted its FIFA 09, which is set to launch this week in North America after the game sold a whopping 1.2 million copies during its first week in Europe, making it the fastest selling FIFA title ever. The game received a Metacritic rating of 90 on the Xbox 360 and an 88 on the PS3.

EA Sports also said that it's "delivered five of the top rated games on the market" with NHL 09, FIFA 09, Madden NFL 09, Tiger Woods PGA TOUR 09 and NCAA Football 09; they've all garnered ratings of 81 or better.

"Our laser-focus on innovation is paying off and we've gained a great deal of momentum over the past 12 months," said Peter Moore, President of the EA Sports Label. "EA Sports has delivered the top two highest-rated sports games of the current console generation in the past month – NHL 09 and FIFA 09. Critics are taking notice of the innovation we're delivering to capture our core audience and captivate the masses with more approachable gameplay."