It may not be a genre that’s widespread but all I can say is “Bring My Diving Gear Now”.  The ocean looks so glorious and it’s all “actual gameplay”.  I can just imagine the intensity of being on a crab boat in the middle of a roaring ocean.  Let’s just say I’m glad there’s a game coming to where I don’t really have to live it.

It looks like one of those niche games that might just surprise a lot of people.  It’s no underwater diving sim but it’s close.  And who won’t enjoy battling through oceans like this across Xbox Live?  Feel the ocean, be the ocean. (feel free to email me for use of this cool phrase)

Battle 40-foot waves, storms, ice and a nearly 100-percent crewmember injury rate in the dangerous hunt for undersea riches on the Bering Sea with the new video game Deadliest Catch Alaskan Storm, to be launched on the Xbox 360®video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PC in April 2008.  The game was inspired by Sig, Edgar and Norman Hansen - three brothers who have made their living crab fishing on the Bering Sea aboard their family’s fishing vessel, the Northwestern. The Hansen brothers started game development with Liquid Dragon Studios in October 2005.

The Hansens and the Northwestern are featured on Discovery Channel’s highest rated and Emmy®-nominated series - Deadliest Catch. The series that captivated nearly three million viewers each week returns for a fourth season this April.

Whether the gamer is a die-hard fan or someone who has never seen the Discovery Channel series, Deadliest Catch Alaskan Storm is an immersive and challenging experience, putting them at the helm of one the world’s most dangerous jobs - that of a crab boat captain in the icy Bering Sea.

Deadliest Catch Alaskan Storm lets gamers captain their own boat in the frenzied search for an undersea jackpot. Gamers select one of five real crab boats, including the Northwestern, Cornelia Marie and Sea Star - all featured on the series, or create and customize their own boat. Gamers then recruit and lead their own crew from a roster of twenty real crab fishermen. Selecting the wrong boat or recruiting the wrong crew member can mean the difference between landing a Bering Sea jackpot or disaster. Lead your fatigued, hungry and hardworking crew in the strategic search for King Crab and Opilio Crab, while battling to secure your catch and livelihood before other captains and crews get to the crab first.

Authenticity and realism were critical to the Hansen brothers. They invited key development team members to Dutch Harbor, Alaska to personally experience life on the Northwestern. The game’s realism is enhanced with four real Bering Sea harbors and 34,000 miles of real Bering Sea coastline created from the United States Geological Survey. In addition, Deadliest Catch Alaskan Storm is the first video game to feature United States Coast Guard vessels and helicopters.

With waves over 40 feet high, Deadliest Catch Alaskan Storm features the best wave effects in a video game to date. In the words of Captain Sig Hansen, “It may not be life or death, but chills went up my spine the first time I saw the Northwestern sink in the game.”

Weather and fishing conditions are based on authentic weather and storm data and get progressively worse each season, increasing the challenge. The ultimate goal is to return safely each season, upgrade your boat and crew, and attempt to break Captain Sig Hansen and the Northwestern crew’s actual lifetime catch of twenty million pounds.

Deadliest Catch Alaskan Storm includes the following features and content:

- Career Mode (Realistic and challenging simulation for gamers and Deadliest Catch fans)
- Missions (Gamers experience the hard core Bering Sea life, including participation in United States Coast Guard search and rescue missions and ice flow navigation)
- Arcade Mini-Games (Allows casual gamers to enjoy fun challenges, including crab boat races and skiff races)
- Five Authentic Crab Boats (including Northwestern and Cornelia Marie)
- Twenty Real Fishermen (including Edgar and Norman Hansen, Josh and Jake Harris)
- Six Authentic Captains (including Captains Sig Hansen, Phil Harris and Larry Hendricks)
- 4,500 lines of recorded character dialogue
- United States Coast Guard Search and Rescues (First time in a video game)
- Captain the 370ft. USCG Cutter Mellon
- Throw-the-Hook Mini-Game
- Skiff Racing Mini-Game
- 34,000 Miles Actual Coastline
- Four Real Bering Sea Harbors (Akutan, Dutch Harbor, King Cove and St. Paul)
- Interactive Virtual Tour Northwestern Crab Boat
- 100 Exclusive Crew Videos
- Xbox Live multiplayer