Stephen LaGioia-Staff Writer

Staff Writer

Staff Writer

March, 2019
Bachelors in History, Masters in Animation
Nintendo, Blizzard, Action RPG
  • 235
    articles
  • 2
    Features
  • 267
    Lists
  • 29
    Guides

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About Stephen LaGioia

Stephen is an avid Nintendo, Indie, and retro gamer of 30 years who dabbles in Xbox, mainly in the form of binge sessions of Overwatch. He's a history buff, an aspiring writer of short fiction, and a devout metalhead who enjoys poorly drumming along to Black Sabbath on his cheap drum set. When his beloved Chicago Cubs or Bulls are not playing, he typically likes to watch obscure documentaries or campy horror films.

Stephen has spent a decade writing extensively about video games, film, and television. He graduated with degrees in History (minor in English) as well as Animation.

Proudest Gaming Achievement

Attending the Electronic Entertainment Expo as media in 2017 and 2018, and getting exclusive looks (and demos) of so many awesome upcoming games... A close second would be getting 101% in Donkey Kong 64.

Favorite Games

Super Mario series (and Mario Kart), Overwatch, Starcraft, Gears of War, Donkey Kong Country, Pokemon Red/Blue, Super Mario RPG, (modern) Assassin's Creed, Borderlands, Super Smash Bros, Roller Coaster Tycoon.

Generally speaking - a dynamic and rewarding, yet accessible ARPG, platformer, RTS, or action game (typically open-world or expansive) is likely to captivate me.

I also tend to have a soft spot for the more action-oriented and imaginative indie titles - especially those that genre-bend, like Minecraft, Terraria, and Dave the Diver. I still contend that the 16-bit era was the Golden Age of Gaming - so naturally, I enjoy many SNES and Genesis titles from the '90s.

Favorite TV Shows

The Twilight Zone, Breaking Bad, South Park, Game of Thrones, Squid Game, Spartacus, Vikings, Everybody Loves Raymond.

Latest

Burt from Severance
Severance: Exploring The Show's Influence From This Internet Creepypasta

Severance has incorporated several influences from the internet age, but none so fascinating as the creepypasta known as The Backrooms.

Resident Evil 2 and The Last of Us
12 Best Zombie Games Ever, Ranked

There is no shortage of zombie games for both console and PC — some of them amazing, and some not so much.

Assassin's Creed Valhalla Mjolnir & Regan
13 Rarest Encounters In Assassin's Creed Valhalla

Assassin's Creed Valhalla features some pretty rare encounters. Here's a look at some of the rarest.

Tiny Tina Wonderlands split image of frost SMG and Thumbsbane firing, Handbow stats
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands: 12 Best Weapons For The Early Game

Obtaining hard-hitting weapons early on is surprisingly doable in Tiny Tina's Wonderlands. Here are the best options for players just setting out.

Split image of the Watchmen, Batman Beyond, Rick and Morty
10 Shows To Watch If You Enjoyed Harley Quinn On HBO Max

After finishing Harley Quinn, fans have a whole host of other fantastic shows to binge-watch on HBO Max with similar themes and feels.

Forza Horizon 5 10 Great Cars For Drifting featured image
Forza Horizon 5: 15 Great Cars For Drifting

Drift Zones are all over Forza Horizon 5, and these cars will help drivers ace them.

Forza Horizon 5 Trailcat Jeep and Ford Bronco 2020
Forza Horizon 5: Best Off-Road Cars

Exploring or racing across rough terrain in Forza Horizon 5 can be a slow and tedious experience if driving the wrong type of vehicle.

Split image of Fatal Frame 4, Zangeki No Reginleiv, Taiko no Tatsujin Wii
8 Best Wii Games That Never got A Western Release
Wii

The Wii brought several amazing games for fans, however, there are some that are still exclusive to Japan.

left to right: Mad Moxxi sitting, Moxxi bar sign, and Moxxi appearance in Poker Night 2
Borderlands: 10 Things You Might Not Know About Mad Moxxi

Mad Moxxi is an iconic character across the Borderlands franchise, but players might not know everything about her.

Tiny Tina's Wonderlands Featured
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands: The 8 Best Magic Spells For The Early Game, Ranked

Tiny Tina's Wonderlands offers players a huge number of spells to play with. Which among them are the best for the early game?

Tiny Tina's Wonderlands Hidden Locations Only Experts Found featured image
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands: 8 Hidden Locations Only Experts Found

Tiny Tina's Wonderlands is filled with Easter eggs and surprises, and that extends to hidden locations.

world of warcraft rainbow flag
The 15 Best PC Games You Can't Play On Console

Occasionally, a PC game will reach popularity, yet never end up getting a console port. It does not happen as often nowadays, though.

Xbox 360 split image of The Saboteur and Epic Mickey 2 cover art, Crackdown 2 agent leaping with weapon
8 Forgotten Xbox 360 Games That Have Awesome Cover Art

There's no shortage of great box art in the Xbox 360's expansive library — some of which manages to eclipse the very games it represents.

split image of Mystical Ninja SNES, Paladin's Quest village, and EVO box art
10 Forgotten SNES Games That Have Awesome Cover Art

Regardless of these SNES games' actual quality, their cover arts are incredible.

split image of Sin and Punishment and Silent Hill box art, Epic Mickey holding paint brush
10 Forgotten Nintendo Wii Games That Have Awesome Cover Art

These games might not have lasted long in the spotlight, but their box art is a beauty to behold.

Kirby Forgotten Lands Easter Eggs
8 Easter Eggs Only Die-Hard Fans Noticed In Kirby And The Forgotten Land

Eagle-eyed fans may have spotted these intriguing easter eggs in Kirby and the Forgotten Land. Did you find them all?

Tiny Tina's Wonderlands Second Ring Slot split image of dark mage with ring and second ring slot menu
Tiny Tina's Wonderlands: How To Unlock The Second Ring Slot

Equipping two rings at once can make a Tiny Tina's Wonderlands character unstoppably powerful. Here's how to do it.

The 15 Best Battle Royale Games, According To Metacritic

The Battle Royale genre has dominated Twitch streams in recent years, but what are the best games according to Metacritic?

Nintendo Feature
7 Most Underrated Games For Switch (& 7 That Are Overrated)

The Nintendo Switch's library of gems, along with some games that can be a bit over-hyped.

Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl 10 Best Grass Type Pokémon & Where To Catch Them featured image
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl: 14 Best Grass-Type Pokemon & Where To Catch Them

Looking to build the strongest Grass-type team in Pokemon Brilliant Diamond & Shining Pearl? Then these are the Pokemon to catch.