<\/td><\/tr><\/table><\/p>\nIf there were two booths that I lurked around the most at PAX, it had to have been Monaco and SpyParty. With other game booths, especially the big ones, people seemed to be very determined and slightly annoyed while standing in line and playing the games. In fact, the people playing Fallout: New Vegas didn’t appear to be that different from someone who was wine tasting. They understood that they’d only be given a hint of a particularly expensive game and needed to gather as much information as they could with such a small sample. Instead of trying to guess if there was an oak or nutty flavor, players were silently asking questions. What was the gameplay like? How much of the story can I get a peek at? Is this game going to be worth my money and time?<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Monaco and SpyParty booths reminded me more of a late-night college common room. People were laughing, joking with each other, shouting and even holding meaningful conversations off to the side. Both of these indie games knew they were going into the convention as underdogs, so they had to prove how fun their game was going to be or people would walk right on past. Along with an upbeat energy, both games exhibited extremely unique multiplayer features that caught the attention of gamers and turned their little section of the con into something of an arcade. <\/p>\n
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SPYPARTY<\/h3>\n
 <\/td><\/tr><\/table>\nA game based completely in deception of the highest form, SpyParty is all about trying to blend in while carrying out an important mission. One player is dropped into a party with a bunch of computer controlled bots who are walking around, chatting and inspecting items. Meanwhile, the second player sits across the way with a sniper rifle and tries to find the spy in order to shoot him in the face. If the spy carries out his objective (planting a bug, stealing some priceless art) without being killed, he wins. If the sniper can figure out who the spy is before that and kills him, then he wins. The sniper only has one chance to get it right and the spy has to carry out his objective quickly so the sniper doesn’t have time to pick up on subtle human error.<\/p>\n When I tell people about the premise of this game, most of the time their first reaction is: “Why the hell hasn’t someone thought of this before?” The moment computer controlled players have been introduced into gaming (Pong?), someone had to wonder if they could mimic them to the point of fooling their friends. What I love about SpyParty is that it’s not about the combat system or bright, shiny graphics to jangle in front of the player, it’s all about this single concept that can blossom into entertaining game play. Great video games are built on such foundation and are solid proof the industry hasn’t run out of ideas just yet. <\/p>\n The concept also makes for a very interesting spin on multiplayer. Usually, we work together with other people for a common goal or try to out do them through combat based skill, but in SpyParty you’re pitted against a player in a headgame. It’s all about outsmarting the other person with no other tool besides a good eye for detail or substantial skill in subtlety. I imagine the game was meant to be played online against a faceless foe, but at PAX you had to sit across from the person who was trying to outsmart you. This turned into a battle of wits and pokerfaces as you can see from this video<\/a> of Anthony Burch of Destructoid playing as the sniper. Notice how he barely moves and descends into deep concentration…only to shoot an innocent bystander on accident. And, just like any gentlemanly contest, the two have to shake after the game is over. I love that all through PAX, mostly everyone who sat down to play this game shook hands afterwards. True sportsmanship and friendly competition can sometimes be hard to find these days. <\/p>\n The problem most people seem to have with this game (that tends to be a frequent complaint with indie games in general) is that it’s pretty one-dimensional. A single concept in a two-player only game will be fun the first dozen or so times you play it with your friends, but then it might just turn into a time waster. PC gamers who enjoy multiplayer tend to have one or a couple groups of people they like to play games with, so a two-player game won’t work when four or five people are sitting in Ventrilo bored out of their skulls. The developers of SpyParty must understand this in order to make a well-rounded game instead of a gimmicky one. The good news is that it’s still being worked on. The graphics aren’t finalized and neither is the game, so it might even drastically change by the time it is released.<\/p>\n
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