14 DAY TRIAL // 
Poker Night at the Inventory was a bold experiment for Telltale Games, as it combined a regular poker simulator with different characters from other franchises or properties.
Now, after making some very successful titles like The Walking Dead, Telltale is back with Poker Night 2, a sequel that once again tasks players with competing in poker tournaments against different characters from games, movies, or TV shows.
Can this simulator blend poker with hilarious dialog or should the Inventory remain closed? Let's find out.
Poker Night 2 once again sees players step into the shoes of the mute "Player" who goes back to the Inventory for some high stakes poker. His opponents are Claptrap from the Borderlands series, Brock Samson from the Venture Bros. TV show, Ash from the Army of Darkness movie, and Sam from the Sam and Max series.
The dealer for each game is GLaDOS, the evil AI from the Portal series. While she won't try to kill the competitors, she will make fun of their gestures and takes particular joy in mocking fellow robot Claptrap and the actual player.
All opponents are quite fun and their original personalities show when playing poker. Besides acting like themselves, the different characters also have various reactions and dialog specific to their own background.
Each character also has his own set of taunts, gestures, and, seeing as how they're playing poker, a number of tells that will signal you when there's a bluff or when he actually has a good hand.
In terms of poker, the game is pretty decent, managing to offer a more balanced simulation than the original title. There are two modes, Texas Hold'Em and Omaha, and you'll certainly see some twists and comebacks at the end of most hands.
However, once you complete a few tournaments, some general events start shaping up. For example, Ash will almost always be the first one to get eliminated due to his impulsive nature, while Sam has quite a few chances to remain the last one standing due to his calculated attitude. You can, however, change their demeanor by buying them drinks, which are supplied by the lovely Moxxi from Borderlands.
Of course, one of the main selling points of Poker Night 2 is the dialog that happens between the opponents, and it largely delivers in terms of hilarity and randomness. You'll certainly hear some conversations multiple times but, if you keep changing the themes of the location, things will mostly stay fresh.
When you complete tournaments, you get a certain number of tokens, depending on how well you did. These tokens can be used to buy different sets of chips or cards, as well as new tables. These are organized by sets, ranging from the regular one to ones themed around Borderlands, Sam and Max, the Venture Bros., Army of Darkness, or Portal. Each new theme can spark various conversations and special events, which are often quite hilarious.
Besides winning tokens, players can also score different special objects from the opponents, ranging from Sam's Banjo to Ash's Necronomicon, each coming with a set of unlockable rewards, such as new heads for Borderlands 2 or new items in Team Fortress 2.
In order to get your opponents to ante up these special items, however, you need to complete a set of bounties that are randomly given by the Inventory. While some are quite easy, such as to win after going all-in, others are extremely hard, such as winning a tie with a higher kicker card.
Sadly, there are some glitches in the game, ranging from animation errors to taunts that arrive at the wrong time. Not once did I raise and then GLaDOS immediately appeared saying that she would have raised if she were me.
There are also some inconsistencies in terms of difficulty, as in some tournaments the AI makes plenty of mistakes and bluffs when the time isn't right, while in others characters make all the right choices and moves.
Conclusion
Poker Night 2 is a decent experience but it forces players to compete in a lot of tournaments before they can unlock every reward or customization option. This makes them notice all the repeated conversations or taunts, the animation errors, the problems with the dialog not synching up, or the AI that tends to range from really easy to fool to extremely hard to predict.
The game will certainly offer plenty of hilarious moments and dialog, but it's probably better to play it from time to time, not in lengthy sessions.
