Book 1
Image: Ollie Reynolds / Nintendo Life

Last year, we were kindly sent a sample of 'The Most Relaxing Video Games' from Ryan Janes, a lovely book that delved into a collection of games handpicked to make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Now, Janes is back with another book, this time looking at some of the best PvP games ever made – in fact, it's straight up called 'The Best Competitive Multiplayer Games', how about that! Much like the first book, this one doesn't merely list out a bunch of games and have done with it, but instead incorporates a lot of Janes' own personal history and anecdotes, making for a pleasant read from start to finish.

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It also happens to be chock-full of Nintendo titles; obvious choices like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Nintendo Land, and Splatoon 3, but also games that might fly under the radar in the modern age: Pikmin 3, Warioware, Inc.: Mega Party Game$!, and Kirby's Dream Course, to name but a few. Other platforms are represented too, mind you, with classics like Tekken 3, The Typing of the Dead, and Marvel Snap all featured.

If you picked up Janes' first book and enjoyed it, then this is more of the delightful same. It's got lots of interesting facts that you might not have known before, plenty of cool choices that we perhaps won't have considered ourselves, and the product itself remains high quality and pleasantly big; a lovely coffee table book, then.

Book 2
Image: Ollie Reynolds / Nintendo Life

The Best Competitive Multiplayer Games is available now via Pen and Sword. Huge thanks to Ryan Janes for sending a sample for our perusement.

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Have you nabbed this book already? What do you make of it? Let us know your thoughts with a comment in the usual place.