It feels like there’s never been a better time to be a student of video game history. And that’s because practically every week there’s a new book that reexamines a beloved game or shines a light on some forgotten corner of the industry.

Thankfully, Nintendo Life‘s Damien McFerran recently sorted through a lot of these options and produced his (fairly comprehensive) guide to “The Best Video Game Books Money Can Buy.” McFerran’s nearly 50 selections run the gamut from the very recently published to the classics that belong in every library:

The only thing more fun than playing video games is reading about them, and in the past few years, we’ve seen the number of game-specific books explode as players seek to learn more about the industry and writers strive to catalogue and analyse what has become one of the world’s most popular forms of entertainment.

It has gotten to the stage where we’ve amassed so many tomes at Nintendo Life Towers that we’ve decided to put together a handy guide to all of the very best books about games money can buy.

Even more than 20 years after its publication, it’s great to see David Sheff’s Game Over: How Nintendo Zapped an American Industry, Captured Your Dollars, and Enslaved Your Children earn a spot on the list, as it remains one of the most informative looks inside the secretive company.

Cuphead‘s unique blend of vintage-style animation and ultra-hard platform shooting helped make it a huge hit back in 2017. An expansion, The Delicious Last Course, is slated to launch later this year, and fans will also get to page through the game’s gorgeous art thanks to The Art of Cuphead.

Published by Dark Horse, the 160-page hardcover will feature a “curated collection of artwork designed to capture the vintage look and feel of the Thirties”:

Peek at the early concepts, production work, and early ideas that went into the making of Cuphead’s characters, bosses, stages and more. Relive the most cherished and challenging moments of Cuphead and Mugman’s adventure to reclaim their souls from The Devil, all in a way you’ve never seen before! Guided by personal insights from game directors Chad and Jared Moldenhauer, take a one-of-a-kind trip through the Inkwell Isles and discover an all-new appreciation for Cuphead’s animation style and challenging retro gameplay.

The Art of Cuphead will be available in bookstores on October 22.

It looks like Insight Editions will expand their line of game-themed cookbooks in March 2019 with the release of The Elder Scrolls: The Official Cookbook.

The Elder Scrolls: The Official Cookbook will be written by Chelsea Monroe-Cassel, an author who previously cataloged the fictional cuisines from Hearthstone and World of Warcraft. Readers can expect to find more than 60 recipes from “Skyrim, Morrowind, and all of Tamriel” in the book:

Feast on all of the delicious dishes found in Skyrim, Morrowind, and all of Tamriel in this beautifully crafted cookbook based on the award-winning Elder Scrolls game series. Immerse yourself in the diverse cuisines of the Nords, Bosmer, Khajit, and beyond with these recipes inspired by food found in the Old Kingdom, across Tamriel, and more. With over sixty delicious recipes for fan-favorite recipes including Apple Cabbage Stew, Sunlight Souffle, Sweetrolls, and more, The Elder Scrolls: The Official Cookbook will delight every hungry Dragonborn.

The Elder Scrolls: The Official Cookbook will be released on March 26, 2019.

If you’re looking to fill your shelves with some of the best books about video games from this year, The Guardian‘s Tola Onanuga has got you covered:

If you’re a gamer after something more in-depth than coffee table books, here are some of the most thought-provoking reads about gaming.

The journalist chose to honor six titles that neatly slot into two distinct groups. There’s a trio of tomes about game history, including Women in Gaming: 100 Professionals of Play by Meagan Marie, Boss Fight Books: Shovel Knight by David L. Craddock, and The Evolution of Gamepads: A History of Video Game Controllers by Kevin Harbin). And there’s three more titles about how gamers connect with games in 2018, including Significant Zero: Heroes, Villains, and the Fight for Art and Soul in Video Games by Walt Williams, Playing With Feelings: Video Games and Affect by Aubrey Anable, and Woke Gaming (which was edited by Kishonna L. Gray and David J. Leonard).

Sony and Dark Horse Comics are planning to give fans another God of War adaptation to add to their bookshelves this Fall.

The first issue of the God of War miniseries will be available on November 14 (with a collected edition to follow sometime in the future), and it’ll be written by Chris Roberson (iZombie, Witchfinder). The art team will include artist Tony Parker (Mayday, This Damned Band), colorist Dan Jackson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), and letterer John Roshell of Comicraft. E.M. Gist (The Strain, Will Save The Galaxy for Food) will provide cover art for Issue #1.

According to Dark Horse, the miniseries will serve as a prequel to this Spring’s critically-acclaimed sequel for the PS4:

The God of War comic series finds Kratos living in the remote Norse wilds after his war on the gods of Olympus. Seeking to put the rage that defined most of his life behind him, Kratos inadvertently sparks a feud with a mysterious cult of berserkers after attempting to save a stranger being mauled by a monstrous bear. But for the former Ghost of Sparta, no good deed goes unpunished.

In case you missed it, Titan Books will publish a God of War novelization later this month, and it’ll be written by J.M. Barlog (the father of Game Director Cory Barlog).

Sony Santa Monica jettisoned the over-the-top gore and gratuitous minigames from the newest entry in the God of War franchise, and they were rewarded with huge sales and stellar reviews. This time, the developers chose to focus on a (relatively) kinder and gentler Kratos to tell a more grounded story about fatherhood and responsibility.

So it’s only fitting that Titan Books has selected J.M. Barlog (the father of Game Director Cory Barlog) to pen an official novelization of God of War:

His vengeance against the Gods of Olympus years behind him, Kratos now lives as a man in the realm of Norse gods and monsters. It is in this harsh, unforgiving world that he must fight to survive… and teach his son to do the same. This startling reimagining of God of War deconstructs the core elements that defined the series—satisfying combat; breathtaking scale; and a powerful narrative—and fuses them anew.

The God of War novelization will be available in bookstores on August 28.

In case you missed this one during Comic-Con last week, it looks like Blizzard and Titan Comics will team up to produce a brand new miniseries based on the Diablo franchise.

Set to launch this Fall, the four-part comic saga will be written by Marv Wolfman (Crisis on Infinite Earths) and illustrated by Piotr Kowalski (Wolfenstein):

The [Diablo] comics will follow a group of zealous scholars and crusaders as they discover the true origins of humanity. Will their faith survive these shocking revelations?

For those keeping score at home, Titan’s untitled Diablo series will actually be the third comic adaptation of Blizzard’s battle between the angelic Nephalem and the hordes of Hell. The developer worked with Dark Horse to publish Diablo: Tales of Sanctuary in 2001, and partnered with DC Comics ten years later to produce Diablo: Sword of Justice in 2011.

More information about the Diablo miniseries (and presumably, a collected edition) will be announced soon.

Earlier this week, we were promised that Sega had several Sonic-related announcements to make at the mascot’s San Diego Comic-Con panel, “Sonic the Hedgehog’s Way Past Cool Panel.”

In addition to releasing the final mini-episode of Sonic Mania Adventures, Sega and IDW Publishing announced that a special Team Sonic Racing comic will be released this October. According to IDW’s official website, the one-shot story will be written by Caleb Goellner (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), with art by longtime Sonic the Hedgehog artist Adam Bryce Thomas:

Sonic and his teammates Knuckles and Tails journey to a new planet and enter a race unlike any other! With a little help from friends like Amy Rose, Big the Cat, and a few other familiar faces, Sonic must race to prevent an old foe from obtaining a powerful new technology in this story by writer Caleb Goellner (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and longtime Sonic The Hedgehog artist Adam Bryce Thomas.

“I’m so stoked to write Sonic! It’s been a dream of mine ever since my dad surprised me with my first Sonic comic in ’92, so I can’t wait for fans to take this issue for a Spin Dash,” said Caleb Goellner. “It’s been an honor to be on a team working to deliver an issue that’s as fun to read as Team Sonic Racing is to play.”

The Team Sonic Racing game will be available for the PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One sometime this Fall/Winter. And Sonic Mania Plus is available now for the same four platforms.