Duo of deadly Discovery Channel series coming to consoles in the next year or two

Two of Discovery Channel’s most popular series, Man vs. Wild and Deadliest Catch, are being turned into video games. Discovery Communications is working closely with publisher Crave to adapt both series.

Man vs. Wild is a survival series featuring British adventurer Bear Grylls. In this series, Bear pits himself in inhospitable locations using only basic tools to survive, create a shelter and find his way back to civilization. The upcoming Man vs. Wild game will not feature Bear but will present the player with similar situations as the ones portrayed in the show and will require them to use the skills taught by Bear and his guidance to survive.

Deadliest Catch documents the lives of crab fishermen working in Alaska. The series follows several fishing boats as they endure dangers and rough weather working in the Bering Sea during the King Crab season. Although there is already a game based on the series, Deadliest Catch: Alaskan Storm, the publishers wanted a more accessible version where players manage a fishing boat and face the dangers of the sea in the fight for profits.

I really like both series and find them interesting and, in the case of Man vs. Wild, somewhat educational. These games could provide an alternative to the classic genres like role-playing games and first-person shooters and bring some innovation to the consoles. I just hope they don’t follow the example of previous efforts like Lost: Via Domus which just butchered the series in an effort to make a buck.

The Deadliest Catch video game will be released Spring 2010 for the PS3, Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS. Man vs. Wild will be released by the end of 2011 for PS3, the Wii and the Xbox 360.

Read [Reuters] Also read [AOL Television]