Diamonds in the Rough: Poker Night at the Inventory
Poker Night at the Inventory is a miracle that, if you stop and think about it, really shouldn’t exist. Who would have ever thought of bringing together Strongbad, Tycho, The Heavy, and Max, and sitting them all down at a table to play Texas Hold’em? Lucky for the world, someone did. Once they did, this gem had to be brought into the world.
THE GAME: Diamond
You knock on a door in a back alley, and enter a 1920s-era speakeasy set up to avoid the Puritanical oppression of The Man. Still functioning, it hosts No-Limit Texas Hold’em, and you’ve invited to join a table with Max (Sam and Max games), Strong Bad (Homestarrunner.com), The Heavy (Team Fortress 2), and Tycho Brahe (Penny Arcade).
GAMEPLAY: Diamond
As a poker game, it’s really solid. You can turn tabletalk on or off (which you may want to do once you’ve exhausted all the conversations, and believe me, you will), the characters have tells, and you can even watch to see who wins if you get eliminated.
WHAT NOT TO EXPECT:
5 Card Draw. I learned on Texas Hold’em, so when someone talks about playing poker, I assume that’s the game they’re talking about. Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. So, to those of you who mean “5 Card Draw” when you use the word “Poker,” be advised that this game is not that. It’s real poker.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
Texas Hold’em Poker with iconic characters. Basically, yeah.
REPLAY VALUE: High
It’s poker, and a damn good version of it. There are plenty of achievements and unlockables to get. Every so often, an opponent will come to the table without money, and bet a personal item (usable in Team Fortress 2) which is yours if you can take the player out of the game.(I think this game was one of the first, if not _the_ first game to feature crossover content for TF2. So you can either thank it or curse it, depending on how you feel about that).
BUY IT: Only if you like poker. Or the characters. Or being awesome.
If you like poker and the internet and read this blog, then this is the game you never knew you needed to play. For $5 you can get a fish sandwich combo at McDonalds, or you can play No Limit Texas Hold’em with a Russian who brings a minigun to a poker game. Which would you choose? That’s what I thought.
As always, if you’re desperate for something to play, go play Team Fortress 2. It is both free and awesome. If you’ve got $5 to burn, buy some stamps for your favorite TF2 maps and support the guys who made them.
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