There isn't anything wrong with snipers. However, there IS something wrong with campers (and trust me, there IS a difference).
In most games, Snipers will either play "D" or slowly advance with covering fire. Campers sit in a nitch and only care about
their points instead of the team's well-being. A sniper helps the team and can easily be thwarted, and therefore are not "evil" or "cowardly." Campers are piss-annoying, and are therefore f*cking teh s uck.
UT2k4 has a great sniper system. The Sniper Rifle creates a cloud of smoke in front of the user, obscuring vision. The Lightning Gun's beam of electricity is easy to track. So, regardless of which gun you're using, you are fairly balanced with everyone else. Ah, good times on CTF-FaceClassic. I've recieved 2 "Godlike!" awards and 1 "Wickid Sick!" award from sniping on that level.
Hobo, what's your UT tag? I'm putting you on my buddy list. I go as TV_Casualty.