The gun was in my hands! Finally, I could rain death from above, while the poor spy wallows among the crowd. I remember the first time I played as the sniper. You, the lowly spy, made only of flesh and blood (or code and pixels, if you want to get technical,) trying desperately to fit in with your fellow computer-controlled mortals who literally do not know the meaning of fear. Surely he saw that mistake! I’m doomed! The sniper holds the power, sitting on his lofty perch out of sight, immortal, represented only by an unstoppable red line of death. The spy’s life is lived with his heart constantly in his mouth. You might even begin to contemplate breathing again. The laser passes over you, hovering for a few fractions of a second right on your head. When you finally understand how to avoid suspicion long enough that the task at hand actually has the audacity to seem possible. When the thought of actually winning a game dares to cross your mind. The true terror comes when you earn that first flickering wisp of competence. A few half-hearted attempts at a mission, a missed step, a botched test, and a swift bullet to the brain. Being a spy for the first time is tense and exciting, but it tends to play out the same way. When the shot finally came, it was never a surprise.

My first few games as spy were heartracing, and my mistakes were inevitable. I shelled out my $15, installed the game, read the manual (of course), fiddled around in practice mode for a while then finally entered the lobby to see if it was worth the hype.

Finally, near the end of May, my email arrived. June came and went, as did 2011, and still no invite. I had seen plenty of press for SpyParty, and eagerly signed up when the beta was announced. I just thought I would share my early experiences with the beta (at more length than I originally intended!) to see if others felt the same. I know offering a SpyParty review in this forum is kind of like preaching to the choir. This was posted in the closed forums, very nice review and it might just convince you: If you haven't realized yet this game is awesome and you need to sign-up for the BETA, I'll say it again! SIGN-UP for the BETA!!

Spyparty review