# Can you identify this game? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [April 30, 2011, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-game/580303 "2011-04-30T18:04:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![timheadford](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f14d63/32.png) [@timheadford](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/timheadford)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-game/580303/1 "2011-04-30T18:04:03Z")
I remember playing it in the early 90s, but I’m not sure when it was actually released. It was set aboard a derelict spaceship and I remember having to solve puzzles, detective-style, and try to figure out what happened aboard. There was a robotic sentry which would hunt you as you played and basically impose a time-limit. You would see the sentry move closer to the room every once in a while and once it reached you, you were blasted and it was game over. I have a feeling it had a name like Virus or something similarly sinister and single-worded, but I could be totally off. Any thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-game/580303/2 "2011-04-30T18:05:35Z")
This seems ideal for The Game Room. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-game/580303/3 "2011-04-30T18:07:45Z")
[Starship Titanic](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starship_Titanic)? ---
**Author:** ![timheadford](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f14d63/32.png) [@timheadford](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/timheadford)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-game/580303/4 "2011-04-30T19:54:47Z")
Interesting, but no. ---
**Author:** ![Chipacabra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e19b73/32.png) [@Chipacabra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chipacabra)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-game/580303/5 "2011-04-30T20:16:42Z")
Computer game? Console game? Board game? ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-game/580303/6 "2011-04-30T20:20:07Z")
> [@timheadford](#): > > I remember playing it in the early 90s, but I’m not sure when it was actually released. > > It was set aboard a derelict spaceship and I remember having to solve puzzles, detective-style, and try to figure out what happened aboard. > > There was a robotic sentry which would hunt you as you played and basically impose a time-limit. You would see the sentry move closer to the room every once in a while and once it reached you, you were blasted and it was game over. > > I have a feeling it had a name like Virus or something similarly sinister and single-worded, but I could be totally off. > > Any thoughts? I was going to say “Impossible Mission” but that was in an underground base, I think. ---
**Author:** ![timheadford](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f14d63/32.png) [@timheadford](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/timheadford)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-game/580303/7 "2011-04-30T21:30:41Z")
It was a PC game. Sorry, I meant to specify that. It was from fairly early days, but it used pre-rendered scenes and pre-animated cutscenes for the sentry bot. I think it must have been a click-on-the-object interface for solving puzzles. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-game/580303/8 "2011-04-30T21:35:57Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > I was going to say “Impossible Mission” but that was in an underground base, I think. Here’s a link about Impossible Mission [Impossible Mission - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impossible_Mission) by the way ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-game/580303/9 "2011-04-30T21:42:01Z")
> [@timheadford](#): > > Interesting, but no. Yeah, no time limit. Except in the bomb room which will never go off ---
**Author:** ![timheadford](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f14d63/32.png) [@timheadford](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/timheadford)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-game/580303/10 "2011-04-30T22:09:09Z")
No, that was 80s. I think this was 90s. Definitely more graphically advanced than that and almost certainly PC. This is so frustrating. Keep at it, thanks for your replies 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-game/580303/11 "2011-04-30T22:38:38Z")
Was this first-person, like Myst? ---
**Author:** ![timheadford](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f14d63/32.png) [@timheadford](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/timheadford)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2011, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-game/580303/12 "2011-04-30T22:52:19Z")
It was 1st-pereson, yes, but I don’t remember having full directional control, like an FPS - I think it was more like scene-by-scene backdrops, like Resident Evil, but one could interact with objects. My recollection is extremely hazy, I just remember a futuristic, spaceship-like setting, all white and grey. ---
**Author:** ![tsm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/db5fbb/32.png) [@tsm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tsm)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2011, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-game/580303/13 "2011-05-01T01:13:11Z")
Was it [Iron Helix](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Helix)? ---
**Author:** ![timheadford](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f14d63/32.png) [@timheadford](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/timheadford)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2011, 10:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-game/580303/14 "2011-05-01T10:42:05Z")
Haha, buy that man (woman?) a drink! Buy it several! That’s the one. Not EXACTLY as I remembered it, but I was about twelve at the time. Many, many thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Kobal2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kobal2/32/20_2.png) [@Kobal2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kobal2)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2011, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-game/580303/15 "2011-05-01T11:16:02Z")
nm ---
**Author:** ![tsm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/db5fbb/32.png) [@tsm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tsm)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2011, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-game/580303/16 "2011-05-01T19:20:48Z")
Your description was good because I remembered the game well. I had to wrack my brain for a while to remember the name. ---
**Author:** ![timheadford](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f14d63/32.png) [@timheadford](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/timheadford)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2011, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-game/580303/17 "2011-05-01T20:08:32Z")
Well I’m glad I wasn’t just being crazy or inarticulate. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2011, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-identify-this-game/580303/18 "2011-05-01T21:10:49Z")
> [@timheadford](#): > > Well I’m glad I wasn’t just being crazy or inarticulate. Thanks. Glad you found it.