Ever wondered what it would be like to have GLaDOS working in a casino? Here’s your answer.
Cross-over games aren’t too popular nowadays. With the exception of Super Smash Bros. and the old Marvel vs. Capcom games, you don’t see a lot of games that give you the ability to play with characters from different game franchises. Luckily, Telltale Games sought to fill in that void, and if you just happen to be an aspiring poker player, Poker Night 2 for the PS3 should prove to be a lot of fun.
Released earlier this year, Poker Night 2 is the “unnecessary sequel” to Poker Night at the Inventory. In the game, players are thrown into a poker match with licensed characters from several different franchises: Claptrap from Borderlands, Brock Samson from Venture Bros., Sam from Sam & Max, and Ash Williams from Army of Darkness, to name a few. Cards are dealt by GLaDOS, of Portal fame.
Aside from the endlessly entertaining banter of the characters around the poker table, the game also offers players a chance to win “Bounty Unlocks” — rewards that can be used in other games when achievements are unlocked within the game. Poker Night 2 takes cross-over games to a new level, not just allowing players to interact with characters from different games, but also giving them the chance to earn rewards for the games those characters are from.
Poker games aren’t new to the console platform market. In 2007, Activision released the game World Series of Poker 2008: Battle for the Bracelets. As can be implied by the title, the game is set in a casino environment, entering players in the WSOP for a chance to win some bracelets. In 2010, poker players looking for some live multiplayer action were in for a treat with High Stakes on the Vegas Strip: Poker Edition. The game has successfully recreated live casino games that are defined by UK gaming host castlejackpot.com as “the most authentic gaming experience anywhere on the Internet.” High Stakes on the Vegas Strip: Poker Edition gives players the chance to communicate with others via the PlayStation Eye and EyeToy USB cameras.
Poker Night 2 is the gaming equivalent of a celebrity poker match, and the games puts you smack dab in the middle of it all. Whereas other poker games excel in realism, Poker Night 2 excels in excellent dialogue, good mechanics, and an excellent award system — everything you’d want in a crossover poker game.