'Hero of the Hudson' Video Game Simulates Crash Landing

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Online gamers have been given the chance to become the "Hero of the Hudson" — but some have branded the video game as offensive.

US Airways pilot Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger's heroic splash landing into the River Hudson earlier this month saved dozens of lives and was heralded as a miracle.

Now a team of developers has created an online video game that lets users try their hand at his landing.

The game is set on the approach to the Hudson River, alongside Manhattan's west side, where the plane touched down in icy waters.

Players have to keep the plane balanced at the correct incline and bring it to a smooth landing on the water.

Failing could mean putting the lives of virtual passengers at risk, as the jet crashes and sinks into the river with an ominous gurgling sound.

Hero pilot Sullenberger was forced to ditch his plane on Jan. 15 after it collided with a flock of birds shortly after take-off.

All 155 passengers and crew survived the US Airways Flight 1549 from New York's La Guardia airport, bound for Charlotte, North Carolina.

But the new game has had a mixed response online.

One blogger comments: "The game is about as primitive as you can get.

"Most of the comments below the game hit it on the head. It's boring, stupid and offensive."

Yet it is spreading fast across the Web and has already been played by several thousand people.

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