Poker Night 2 is the sequel to Poker Night at the Inventory, Telltale's quirky poker game that pit various video game characters against each other in a high-stakes game of poker.
New characters join the bunch this time, from a wide range of franchises. This time, Brock Samson from The Venture Bros., Ash Williams from The Evil Dead, Claptrap from Borderlands, and Sam from Sam & Max are the poker players. Returning characters include Max from Sam & Max, who provides humor at Sam's side, and Reginald Van Winslow from Tales of Monkey Island, who is the host of the Inventory speakeasy where the poker games are held. New characters joining the mix include GLaDOS from Portal, who deals the cards with her usual deadly wit, and Mad Moxxie from Borderlands who serves as the bartender of The Inventory.
This time around, Texas Hold'em poker isn't the only name of the game. Omaha Hold'em poker can also optionally be played. The new poker style is played through as robust of a system as its tried-and-tested brethren. Once again, as was the case with its forerunner, the main draw of the game is the interactions between the characters. There is no multiplayer mode, so the fun comes in hearing all of these characters from vastly different franchises talking with each other. The premise of the inventory is that it is a place where video game characters come on their days off to relax, and these conversations really help nail that concept down.
The unlockables in the first game could only be used outside the game, but this time there are those that can be used in-game as well. Of course, there's still unlockables that can be played outside of the game, in Borderlands 2 in this case, but the Inventory unlockables add a lot to the game itself. There are multiple poker table and chip themes that can be unlocked based on the various series represented. However, the most fun unlockables are those that change the entire internal design of The Inventory to be themed after the various intellectual properties of the game characters. It's a lot of fun to play in an environment themed after Aperture Science, for example, and watch the wit of GlaDOS be unleashed in her natural enviroment.
The music is once again provided by Jared-Emerson Johnson and includes various jazz motifs themed after the properties to which the characters belong. All of the game characters are voiced by their usual voice actors, with Dave Boat once again voicing Max, but, unfortunately Bruce Campbell does not appear as Ash. He is voiced by Danny Webster, who does an admirable job. He doesn't hit the rich tones of Campbell's voice but he provides the character's sarcastic wit well and works as an Army of Darkness-era Ash that hasn't yet gained the undertones in his voice that he would reach with age.
Poker Night 2 is an improvement upon its predecessor in every way. From the new addition of Omaha Hold'em alongside the usual Texas Hold'Em to the table, chip, and building unlockables, poker has never been better in a Telltale game. The franchises are a lot more varied this time around and the addition of non-poker playing characters such as Mad Moxxie and GlaDOS are a very welcome addition. The music remains top-notch and the voice work is just as good as you would expect from the usual voices of these characters. The one unfortunate loss is that the legendary Bruce Campbell does not play the role of Ash Williams, but Danny Webster does a fine job providing the sarcastic snark to a young thirty-something version of the character. If you can track it down, it's well worth a play.
Final Verdict:
4 out of 4
Sam & Max
| Poker Night at the Inventory review | Sam & Max: This Time It's Virtual review coming soon |
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