The Best Competitive Multiplayer Games Review (Book) – Finding The Joy In A Grudge Match
If you ask most people why they play competitive games, they’ll likely mention a handful of things. The thrill of a challenge, the rush of outsmarting another, the perfect shot, or just the rage-inducing flipping of a table, smashing a controller, and screaming at the TV at the final player for the W. In our case, that guy is usually FG buddy Josh, btw (we’re doing the screaming; Josh is getting the win). Many of the team have spoken about the love of our lives, such as Fortnite. Or the toxic relationship Miles, Josh and I had with Dead By Daylight.
In his second book, The Best Competitive Multiplayer Games, Ryan Janes turns away from the cosy and soothing fields of Stardew Valley and instead invites us into the sweaty corners of the world like Apex Legends and Tekken, as well as the not-so-sweaty (but still enjoyable) WarioWare and Golf with Friends. Let’s get into it.
Press START
Ryan is back, and it shows. If you read The Most Relaxing Video Games (you should; I reviewed it right here), you’ll be very aware that this talented chap’s writing style is much less textbook and more ‘mate at the pub having a decent chinwag’. I wouldn’t put it past him to probably know more about some of the titles included than the devs themselves. The conversational tone remains front and centre while discussing all things button-bashing brilliance and rivalry.
Ryan isn’t about to step on toes here either. We are all aware of Chris Scullion’s encyclopaedias for the consoles, but Ryan drives in a different lane. He’s here to talk about his best. Not the entire collection of a particular genre or console, but ones that have resonated with him and therefore may be a bit of your cup of tea too. I can already hear people say ‘…and why would I care?’. Which I’ll easily reply with, Why read any reviews/op-eds/news pieces from anyone, then? Why ever engage with ANY writing or journalism at all? If you don’t want it, then it’s not for you, babe. However, if you fancy taking a look at a MASSIVE collection of recommendations, spanning multiple genres and vibes of multiplayer madness, then look no further.
Ryan isn’t just out for the clout either, these books don’t even just go for the GOATs. I mean, sure, Rocket League is there (how could it not be?), but with Ryan, you’ll find the unsung heroes spanning from the last few years to the early ’90s. Some perhaps more obvious heavy hitters don’t make it in, but instead, Ryan’s made room for some well-loved titles or ones that didn’t get as much time to shine in the spotlight. There is something for everyone in this book. Some additions are games within this book that made me blink and go “HANG ON, I thought I was the only person in existence to know this game existed!?”
Choose your Character
Writing book reviews is tricky, because, like last time, I want to sit here and tell you all of the titles included. For me, that’s one of the charming things about reading Ryan’s collections. In his last title, I had some preconceived ideas of what should certainly be in there, and it turned into some weird quirky peek-a-boo game I had to discover which titles made it in whilst also discovering some I had never heard of but definitely made it on the backlog ‘to play’ list.
Arguably, I think Ryan’s gone a bit riskier here with this title, which is both exciting and…as I mentioned, risky. (No Overcooked or Fortnite? How dare you Ryan, we’re going to have words). However, the collection of mini love letters, with each game getting its moment, complete with impact and why it absolutely rocks, makes up for it. Also, having your own mental conversations about each title is half the fun of reading this book. Once again, Ryan also sprinkles those tasty fun facts, some you may know, and some you will discover are from pure deep dives of lore.
Also, this deserves a shout-out for how refreshing it is to break down the barriers of our newer definition of ‘competitive games’, being that of what we see as e-sports type games. It’s nice to see someone in the industry acknowledge that not all competitive multiplayer games are the sweat fests, toxic, hyper-macho games that we may associate with the definition now. It can simply mean games that have brought friends together in the evening, the ones that come out on Christmas Day, or simply two friends on a couch. Ryan has nailed that competitive gaming can still be fun and is so much more than screaming into bottomless lobbies, and really captures the feel of each game in his writing.
Final Round
So, is this worth a read? Absolutely. Whether you’re well-versed in competitive multiplayer or you’re simply looking for an eclectic range of recommendations, you’ll be smiling from ear to ear and may even seek out an old favourite to reinstall. Heck, you may even add to the backlog – I know I am. Ryan has captured the soul of many games, yet again. I dare you to pick this up if you’ve ever said one more game and stayed for 7 more.
The Best Competitive Multiplayer Games is available now from all good book stores, including Pen & Sword and Amazon.
Disclaimer: In order to complete this review, we were provided with a promotional copy of the book. For our full review policy, please go here.
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