| Poker Night at the Inventory | |
|---|---|
Poker Night at the Inventory cover. Characters (l–r): Tycho Brahe, Max, the Heavy Weapons Guy, Strong Bad | |
| Developer(s) | Telltale Games |
| Publisher(s) | Telltale Games |
| Composer(s) | Jared Emerson-Johnson |
| Engine | Telltale Tool |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows Mac OS X (10.5x to 10.7.x [1]) |
| Release | November 22, 2010 |
| Genre(s) | Adult's Card game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Poker Night at the Inventory is a poker video game developed by Telltale Games. It features four characters: Tycho from the Penny Arcade webcomic, Max from the Sam & Max franchise, the RED Heavy from Team Fortress 2, and Strong Bad from the Homestar Runner web series. The game was released on November 22, 2010.[1]
Poker Night At The Inventory
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Plot[edit]
The Inventory is a secret club built underneath a video game storage warehouse. It was established in 1919, after a first draft of the 18th Amendment was acquired by a group of connected gamblers. It was discovered that it could not only outlaw libations, but games and amusements that could decrease the productivity of the national workforce. Despite this never coming to pass, the club has existed since in secret, just in case Congress tried to set prohibition into law. As a newcomer, the player competes in a friendly game of Texas Hold'emPoker with Max of Sam & Max, Strong Bad from Homestar Runner, Tycho from Penny Arcade, and the Heavy from Team Fortress 2. The player is first greeted by Reginald Van Winslow, former captain of the Screaming Narwhal, and sidekick to Guybrush Threepwood in Tales of Monkey Island. He explains the back story of the Inventory, and raises the blinds in game.
Gameplay[edit]
Poker Night is a computer-based Texas Hold 'Em poker simulation between the player as an unseen participant and the four characters, Max, Tycho, The Heavy, and Strong Bad. Each player starts with a $10,000 buy-in and stays in the game until they are broke, with the goal of the player being the last player standing. The game uses no-limit betting and a gradually-increasing blind bets over the course of several rounds. Randomly, one of the four non-playable characters will not be able to front the money but will offer one of their possessions as buy-in for the game. The player can win these items as Team Fortress 2 unlockable equipment only if he or she is the one to bust that non-player character out of the game. The game keeps track of the player's statistics over the course of several games, and by completing certain objects (such as number of hands or games won) can unlock different playing card or table artwork to customize the look of the game.[2]
Development[edit]
On May 15, 2009, Telltale Games started a survey which was meant to gauge fan reaction to a sequel to Telltale Texas Hold'em.[3] While the team liked the deep conversations that the characters in the original game had, they decided to not go down the same path for the new game, using recognizable licensed characters rather than original 'generic' ones.[4]
Poker Night At The Inventory Items
Poker Night grew out of an idea from Telltale employees, wondering 'what video characters do when they're not 'on the clock' in the games we play', according to Telltale CEO Dan Conners.[5] From there, they pitched the idea to other companies in the industry and were able to work out which characters they would be able to include.[5] Telltale considered how the four characters would interact with each other, developing dialog, banter, and reactions to certain plays.[6] The characters, they decided, would be fully voiced, and would have distinctive tells and dynamic responses that would manifest themselves as the game progressed.[5] Conners stated that the goal was to create the experience of 'hanging out with their virtual buddies, shooting the breeze and playing a good game of poker'.[6] Telltale is considering a potential series based on this game using different characters in the future, but would need to see sales exceeding 100,000 to 200,000 units to make it feasible.[6]
Telltale Games have had previous experience working with several of the characters. Two of Telltale's episodic adventure series include three seasons of Sam & Max and Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People based on the Homestar Runner web series; both were developed in conjunction with the original creators, Steve Purcell[7] and The Brothers Chaps,[8] respectively. The appearance of Max and Strong Bad in Poker Night are based on the three-dimensional models from these games. The company's team were also fans of Valve's Team Fortress 2, including creating an informal team to participate in a competition between several game development studios; Telltale offered to create unique items based on Sam & Max to be given as a bonus gift for those who purchased the third season of Sam & Max through Steam, and formed a friendly working relationship with Valve as a result.[9]
Telltale aimed to make the game dialog-centric between the four featured characters. To that end, they created a large amount of dialog for each character and possible interactions between the characters; according to Jake Rodkin, Telltale's graphic designer, they wrote more lines of dialog for the game than a typical Sam & Max adventure episode.[2] Telltale always wanted to respect the original characters and worked with the individual creators and studios to improve the lines; they previously had gotten similar input from Matt Chapman for Strong Bad, while Jerry Holkins was extremely helpful to refine Tycho's character based on Telltale's draft dialog.[2][10] The developers also wanted to avoid any forced interactions, and instead developed what they felt were natural relationships: Tycho dislikes Strong Bad while getting along well with Max, while the Heavy looks upon Strong Bad as a tiny Heavy.[2] The characters are also written to be somewhat cognizant of their nature; according to Rodkin, Tycho and Strong Bad are aware of their video game nature, while Max is ambiguous and the Heavy remains blissfully unaware of his death-and-respawning cycle, simply attributing his memories of dying over and over again as dreams.[11]
Poker Night is the first game to include a voice artist for Tycho; provided by voice actor Andrew 'Kid Beyond' Chaikin. The other three characters are voiced by their current voice actors: Max by William Kasten, Heavy by Gary Schwartz, and Strong Bad by Matt Chapman. The game uses existing 3D models for Max, Heavy, and Strong Bad, while Tycho's is built from scratch; at the time of the game's announcement near the Penny Arcade Expo, Telltale was still working on refining Tycho's model, though it was briefly seen during their Make a Scene panel at PAX.[12][13]
The game was teased by Telltale Games a week prior to its official announcement through a short video on GameTrailers TV, showing the silhouettes of the four characters' official art.[14] The game was officially announced by Telltale Games on September 2, 2010, the eve of the 2010 Penny Arcade Expo.[6] Players who have also purchased Team Fortress 2 will be able to unlock unique items based on the four respective franchises within that game through progress in Poker Night; a special poker visor for Team Fortress 2 was also available for those that pre-ordered the game.[15]
Reception[edit]
The game received favorable reviews.
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Sequel[edit]
On April 1, 2013, Telltale officially announced a sequel, titled Poker Night 2, featuring Brock Samson from The Venture Bros., Claptrap from the Borderlands series, Ash Williams from The Evil Dead franchise, and Sam from Sam & Max as opponents. GLaDOS from the Portal series serves as the dealer. Other characters such as Max from Sam & Max, the Aperture Science turrets from Portal, and Mad Moxxi and Steve the Bandit from Borderlands make non-playable appearances.[17] The game was released on Steam, Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network in late April 2013.[18]
Poker Night At The Inventory 2 Steam
References[edit]
- ^'A Release Date. Poker Night Has One'. Telltale Games. November 18, 2010. Retrieved November 18, 2010.
- ^ abcdHerring, Will (September 6, 2010). 'PAX 2010: Poker Night at the Inventory'. GamePro. Archived from the original on September 12, 2010. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
- ^'Telltale Texas Hold'em 2 no'. The International House of Mojo. May 15, 2009. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
- ^'How Evil Dead, Venture Bros. and Borderlands ended up at the poker table'. Polygon. May 7, 2013. Retrieved May 29, 2013.
- ^ abc'Telltale Announces the Citizen Kane of Poker Games' (Press release). Telltale Games. September 2, 2010. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
- ^ abcdMastrapa, Gus (September 3, 2010). 'Gamer Icons Talk Trash in Poker Night at the Inventory'. Wired. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
- ^Harold, Charles (October 19, 2006). 'Dog and Rabbit Redux, and a Killer to Search Out'. New York Times. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
- ^'Interview With the Brothers Chaps'. IGN. April 14, 2008. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
- ^'SnM + Steam = BFF'. Telltale Games. April 15, 2010. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
- ^'Poker Night at the Inventory'. Penny Arcade. November 24, 2010. Archived from the original on November 25, 2010. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
- ^Rodkin, Jack (September 3, 2010). 'Poker Night at the Inventory (some sort of crossover game?..)'. Telltale Games. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
- ^Rodkin, Jack (September 3, 2010). 'Poker Night at the Inventory (some sort of crossover game?..)'. Telltale Games. Retrieved September 6, 2010.
- ^CyricZ (September 7, 2010). 'Make a Scene With Telltale at PAX 2010' – via YouTube.
- ^Thompson, Mike (August 28, 2010). 'Telltale Trailer Hints At Greatest Adventure Crossover Ever'. The Escapist. Retrieved September 3, 2010.
- ^'Telltale Games : Home Page'. Telltale Games. November 3, 2010. Retrieved November 3, 2010.
- ^'Poker Night at the Inventory'. GameRankings. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
- ^Neltz, András (March 28, 2013). 'Rumor: Leaked Poker Night At The Inventory 2 Screenshots Reveal The Game's Cast'. Kotaku. Retrieved March 28, 2013.
- ^'Ash, Claptrap, Sam and Brock Samson Ante Up for Poker Night 2'. Kotaku.com. Retrieved October 4, 2013.
External links[edit]
- Poker Night at the Inventory on IMDb
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/ShoutOut/PokerNight2
Go To
- In the teaser trailer, where the characters are huddled over Brock playing Season One of The Walking Dead, Claptrap recommends that he should have Lee buy a Conference Call, the Infinity+1 Gun of his game.
- Claptrap: 'I'm making the international sign for LOSER on my forehead! ...Or maybe it's for Glee. Either way, it's pretty humiliating.'
- Claptrap also describes the Inventory as looking like 'very Boardwalk EmpiremeetsSilence of the Lambs.'
- When Claptrap asks what happened to Sam's voice, Sam mentions that his old voice sounded 'Goofy'. His original voice actor from Sam & Max Hit the Road was Bill Farmer, the long time voice actor for Goofy.
- Brock mentions that he was included as a unlockable character in a (fictional) Mortal Kombat knock-off without his permission. Claptrap says that that he had a 'death smooch' fatality in that game (Sonya, Kitana and Tanya all had kissing fatalities at one point) and, parodying the eventual transformation of Midway Games Chicago into Netherrealm Studios, Brock adds that 'the company went bankrupt... with extreme prejudice.'
- Ash asked Claptrap about life on Pandora, which led to a discussion about a different Pandora, much to Claptrap's chagrin.
- If you listen closely during the introduction, you can hear the sounds of someone playing Johann Sebastian Joust from Sportsfriends right before Brock knocks the bandit out of the room. Evidently, the way to achieve surefire victory at Joust is by stabbing your opponent.
- Change to the Sam & Max inventory for the first time, and Sam will exclaim: 'Great gallifrey, Max! It looks like our past is spilling all over the Inventory!'
- Claptrap's bounty item is his Spike TV VGA 2012 Character of the Year trophy. The first time it's pulled out, GLaDOS claims that it looks familiar, which is perhaps because she also won a Spike TV award for Ellen McLain's portrayal of her in 2011.
- Brock mentions that when he heard he would be playing poker with 'Ash Williams', he was expecting a girl. Ash says he's been getting a lot of that lately for some reason.
- This singing taunt from Claptrap'Here's my bet now, so call me maybe.'
- There are smooth jazz versions of the Venture Bros. theme song, 'No Vacancy' (it's a little difficult to recognize but it's there), 'Short Change Hero' by The Heavy (the opening song for Borderlands 2), and even the title theme to Army of Darkness.
- When losing a showdown, Sam will sometimes shout 'Shazbot!', 'Belgium!' or, for a double Shout-Out, 'FrakkingFrell!'
- While pondering if he should play or fold, Ash may say 'What would Chuck Finley do?'
- He also mentions wearing a cowboy hat for a while during the 90's.
- In another conversation, Brock asks Sam if he ever considered fighting with a blade. Sam mentions he did, with an axe, but that lead to confusion when people kept calling him 'Sam Axe'. Ash thinks that name is dumb.
- Ash's hand being possessed by ad execs and spelling out 'DRINK MORE BANANG' in Morse Code may be a modified reference to A Christmas Story.
- It's also not only a Call-Back to Sam & Max, but also to the previous installment of Poker Night in which Strong Bad claims to like banangs.
- Banang makes appearances in almost all of Telltale's games, including the Sam and Max games and the Walking Dead
- If he wins a few times in a row, Claptrap asks if there's a glitch in the The Matrix, because he's getting deja vu.
- When commenting that his chainsaw is leaking, Sam sarcastically asks if Ash is preparing for an Attack of the Triffids. (Attack of the Triffids is a notoriously bad horror movie featuring what is widely considered the least threatening movie monsters in film history)
- A win may cause Claptrap to offer 'Cool hand,Skywalker!'
- Sam occasionally adds 'Don't get cocky, kid.' right after this.
- Not to mention everyone uses the line, 'I've got a bad feeling about this.'
- Sam occasionally sings King of the Creatures, from Sam & Max Hit the Road when contemplating his move.
- Likewise, in the Sam & Max 25th Anniversary room EVERYONE (even GLaDOS) will serenade the duo with a song about their adventure in Hit the Road.
- When Claptrap comments that Sam and Max's first official appearance was 26 years ago, Max shouts 'NERRRRRRD!' while Sam explains that they always skip over 2004 when counting. A running gag in the Telltale Sam and Max game is that everyone tries to forget that year and the 'particularly gruesome' case that took place that year (i.e. the same year the sequel to Hit the Road was unexpectedly cancelled by Lucasarts).
- If a game is going relatively quickly, Brock might say he might be able to get back in time for Downton.
- During a showdown Claptrap might say 'No Whammies, No Whammies'
- Sometimes, when Claptrap is thinking, he'll hum the first part of the chorus for 'Ain't No Rest For the Wicked', which was the opening song for Borderlands.
- After losing all his chips, Sam will mention spending all on his time looking at 'funny Internet lists.' The sample list Max mentions seems to describe the lists and articles on Cracked.
- The title card that appears when you win on the Venture Brothers Inventory is a reference to Romans 6:23.For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
- Brock also references Hosea 8:7 in one of his all-in call lines: 'For they sow the wind and they shall reap the whirlwind.'
- Brock mentions how Trans-dimensional phone coverage is the least of GLaDOS' secrets, prompting this.Claptrap:We're not talking'Crying Game' secrets, are we?
- A Shout Out, of all things, to Oscar Wilde. Or maybe Willy Wonka..Max: I hope it lasts!
- When Brock goes 'in the tank' about whether to make or call a big bet, he recites the 'litany against fear' from Dune.Brock: I must not fear, fear is the mind-killer, fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration...
- During the hilariously over-dramatic elimination scene of Claptrap in the Borderlands-themed table. Listen to the music, it's Death of DADgeresque. from Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People. Looks like there is a Homestar Runner reference in the game after all.
- Ash having a nasty run-in with a mariachi band might be a Call-Back to Sam and Max: Freelance Police: Season 2, which featured a similarly evil mariachi band.
- Additionally, when talking about a hispanic AI singing a song, Sam is asked if there were mariachis. Sam says it would be ridiculous if there were.
- Claptrap mentions to Ash that he fought the Nightmare King and The Immortal Hockey-Mask killer.
- Brock claiming that repeated checks make him 'twitchy' may be a reference to the squirrel sidekick of another Patrick Warburton character, the wolf from Hoodwinked!.
- Similarly, when Sam mentions that Brock reminds him of someone, Brock says he gets that a lot. Apparently a lot of people think he sounds like some guy they saw on TV, which is probably a reference to Warburton's most well-known role as David Puddy on Seinfeld.
- Claptrap mentions that 'one of these things is not like the others', a mention of a bit on Sesame Street.
- A malfunctioning Claptrap comments on how in the unlikely event of a firestorm, the salad bar can be used as a floatation device. This is a variation on a line spoken by similarly dopey AIs in Sam and Max: Season 3 and Strong Bad's Cool Game For Attractive People.
- During one conversation about a computer made out of nachos Max quotes HAL 9000's famous line... in Spanish. GLaDOS comments that it 'takes her back.
- While conversing about hats with Brock, Sam laments that he can't get Max to wear his beret anymore (a reference to a dress-up activity page found in the Sam and Max comic 'On the Road,' later adapted into an optional minigame in Sam & Max Hit the Road), when Max walks by wearing said beret and saying 'ceci n'est pas un chapeau.'Translation This phrase is likely a reference to the post-modern work 'The Treachery of Images' by René Magritte.
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