The dialogue is hilarious and it doesn't try to do something unnecessary. You can buy this on Steam for $4.99!
In the game, you have 4 opponents. Max the hyperkinetic rabbity thing from Sam and Max, Strongbad from homestarrunner.com, Heavy Weapons Guy from Team Fortress 2 and Tycho from penny-arcade.com. Here's the part where I would normally type about their different play styles, but it's difficult to do that when they all play the same way, but then again, this is poker, there really isn't a lot of different ways to play it. Contrary to your opponents' play style, while you win tournaments, you unlock things like card decks and card tables that give the game some degree of customization. For example, you can have a RED team Team Fortress 2 table playing with a Sam and Max card deck or a Max Imp table using Penny Arcade cards.. You can also win specific items that a character has if you "knock them out" of the tournament, such as the Heavy's "Iron Curtain" minigun, Max's "Badge and Gun", Tycho's "Watch" or Strongbad's "Dangeresque" glasses which can be used in Team Fortress 2. They're purely for aesthetic purposes though as they give no real advantage in-game. Sadly, that's really all there is to say about the gameplay, but it's a poker game, so how much more is needed?
As for the graphics, with any poker game, the graphics aren't the most important part of it, but they're still worth mentioning. Max looks the way he does in The Devil's Playhouse, the Heavy looks like he does in Team Fortress 2, Strongbad looks like he does in Strong Bad's Cool Game for Attractive People, which is good. Although for some reason, they decided to give Tycho a cell-shaded design which looks a bit out of place when compared to the smooth designs of his counterparts. Then there's "The Inventory" itself, which looks good as when you start a new game from the main screen, you get a mini-tour of the building, you can also see the bottom level in the background which looks cool, but players are mostly going to be looking at the cards, and they look decent, which is all that is needed. The in-game HUD is simple enough to understand and has all the poker elements required, such as hand options like Fold or Raise, and there's no blatantly obvious glitches apparent so overall the graphics are decent.
Now we come to the sound, and this is something that Telltale did really well. The character voices were done very well as the Heavy still has his thick, Russian accent but sounds menacing whether he's raising or folding his hand. Max sounds as crazy and obnoxious as ever, but is still entertaining and hilarious as is most Sam and Max offerings like the TV show or the digital episodic content. Strongbad still sounds like the arrogant, cool guy that made him an internet star with the occasional jab at the other competitors, and Tycho…now, I will admit that I have never heard either of the creators of Penny Arcade talk, but Tycho's tone and choice of words spoken made me want to rip out his intestine and choke him with it, so the voice compliments his online persona nicely and seems to be correctly done. Also the conversations that all the characters have with each other are thoroughly entertaining and hilarious, albeit repetitive if you play the game for extended periods of time, but these can be forgiven as players should still laugh when Max asks the Heavy where he should pick up a new firearm. The only complaint I have is that sometimes, if a conversation is going on and the hand ends, so does the conversation. This can be overlooked however, as it doesn't happen that often.
Now we come to the point of "How long will the average player play this game?" and that really depends on what you as a player make of it. If you're in it for the poker experience, probably not that long as you can unlock the four TF2 items in about 5 hours and will likely not touch it for awhile. But if you're looking for a poker game with some humorous kick to it with some internet figures you may recognize, you can play this game for quite some time as you should be continually laughing at the dialogue.
So in summary, Poker Night at the Inventory is a very decent offering for a poker game. The dialogue is hilarious and it doesn't try to do something unnecessary like introducing different types of poker like Omaha or Straight. Also worth mentioning is the price. You can buy this on Steam for $4.99! Considering that when it originally came out, it was priced at $14.99, this is a great deal and should be a good pick up for Steam users. Even if you only want the TF2 items that you can unlock, pick this game up as you likely will not be disappointed.
Quick Review:
Pros:
+ Hilarious
+ Cheap
+ Has Max, Strongbad, Heavy and Tycho taking jabs at each other
+ Could do worse for Texas Hold 'Em Poker simulators
Cons:
- Some conversations abruptly cut off when a hand ends
- Minor issues where the camera focuses on a character, yet nothing happens