I don’t get the whole poker craze that’s swept the nation over the last few years. Yeah, it’s fun to play with your buddies and all, but come on, watching people play cards? Count me out. Poker with the Heavy from Team Fortress 2 along with Tycho from Penny Arcade, Max from Sam and Max and Strongbad from well...Strongbad? Now that’s poker I can get behind.
At least I thought it was.

The good news? Telltale Games’ Poker Night at the Inventory is really friggin’ cheap. The bad? It’s going to get old really fast. Even with its stellar cast, the game is incredibly thin, it feels like playing a game of poker, but with those friends who have one joke and use it over...and over...and over.

You play as an unnamed fifth in a high stakes poker game being held at the Inventory, a laid back and off the beaten path hangout for video game characters who aren’t “on the clock” in their respective game universes. The inventory is a classy joint, much resembling a gentleman’s club and is rendered in some pretty impressive visuals. The cleaned up visuals mix decidedly well with the character models, each of which looks much like they’re actual in-game counterpart. It’s an interesting design choice, as each character model features a different art style than the next, but one that works vibrantly well at the same time. Not only does it make the characters instantly more recognizable, but it also makes the detail in their designs stick out immensely.

"Here’s the catch though, the poker itself isn’t all that much fun."

Here’s the catch though, the poker itself isn’t all that much fun. Now it’s obvious that because of its sarcastic nature and cheap price, Telltale wasn’t aiming for this to be taken as a serious poker game, but as one it must be judged. The main problem with the actual poker in Night at the Inventory is the fact that since you’re always playing as the unnamed fifth, you’re always playing against the same four opponents, and they’re a telling bunch. Each one plays their hands a certain way, and they’ll always go through the same basic motions, so it’s fairly easy to telegraph each player and what they’re going to do. The good news is that the moves fit each character - Strongbad, for instance, bluffs a lot and The Heavy does a lot of brass in your face hands that aren’t exactly the smartest moves ever.

"...you start to realize just how thin the game is."

With such a stellar cast of fan favorites, you wouldn’t think that the game’s personality would be an issue; and for the first few playthroughs it isn’t, it’s just shortly after that you start to realize just how thin the game is. You see, each character only has a select few animations and dialogue (interestingly enough, Night at the Inventory is the first time Tycho from Penny Arcade has been given a voice, while the others feature the same voice talent from their respective games). While these animations and sound bites are entertaining at first, they get mighty old the more you hear them. In fact, what should be the game’s biggest selling point, the personalities of the characters involved instead becomes one of the game’s most annoying features. Seriously, if I have to listen to one more damn “sandwich” joke...

Poker Night at the Inventory was never meant to replace your favorite online poker site, it was merely supposed to be a new and fun way to experience a group of fan favorite characters. Sadly, it falls short, and those same characters come off as an annoying one note joke.  Still it’s super cheap, has a lot of internet jokes and allows you access to several Team Fortress 2 items it could be worse.