Stephen LaGioia-Staff Writer

Editorial Team

Staff Writer

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

Mario Party 10 Best Mini Games Throughout The Series, Ranked
Mario Party: 10 Best Mini Games Throughout The Series, Ranked

Mario Party has packed countless mini-games into the series throughout the years but some stand out above the rest.

Borderlands 2 Best Torgue Weapons Featured Ravager Nukem split image
Borderlands 2: 10 Best Torgue Weapons

The Torgue line of weapons in Borderlands 2 has a predictably explosive lineup — but which of them are the best?

Borderlands 2 Best Jakobs Featured Bekah and Twister split image
Borderlands 2: 10 Best Jakobs Weapons

Jakobs have some of the best guns you can possibly find in Borderlands 2. These are the absolute best they have to offer.

Borderlands 2 weapons selection & gun
Borderlands 2: 10 Best Bandit Weapons

While Bandit weapons aren't the most expertly crafted in Borderlands 2, some of them can still pack a pretty good punch.

10 Games With Terrible Soundtracks But Great Gameplay

Sound design can be just as important to a game as anything else. Here are some games with great gameplay but bad soundtracks.

TMNT Turtles in Time Arcade SNES Differences Slash arcade machine split image
TMNT Turtles In Time: All Differences Between The SNES And Arcade Version

Turtles in Time is one of the best Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games to ever release. Here are some differences between the SNES and Arcade versions.

TMNT Turtles in Time Hyperstone Heist Comparison Featured Tatsu battletank Shredder
TMNT: All Differences Between Turtles In Time And Hyperstone Heist

Turtles In Time and Hyperstone Heist are two Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles games that feature some overlap but are very different titles.

Screenshots from Slenderman: The Arrival and Alien Isolation
10 Horror VR Games To Play If You Like Until Dawn: Rush Of Blood

Until Dawn: Rush of Blood showed how well virtual reality can terrify gamers. If you love an immersive horror experience, these games are for you.

Forza Horizon 4 Best Survival Cars Featured Toyota Baja Ferrari split image
Forza Horizon 4: The 10 Best Cars For Survival

A unique mode in Playground Games' Forza Horizon 4, Survival revolves around offroad driving. Which cars should Survivors and Infected prioritize?

Forza Horizon 4 Best Cars for Forzathon Live Featured split image Bone Shaker, Renault, and Mosler MT900s
Forza Horizon 4: The 10 Best Cars for Forzathon Live

We're cataloging the best cars for Forzathon Live in Forza Horizon 4.

Best Miyamoto N64 Games Featured
Shigeru Miyamoto's 10 Best N64 Games

Shigeru Miyamoto has no shortage of titles under his belt, but what were his best games on the Nintendo 64?

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Shredder's Revenge Trailer Featured split image
TMNT: Shredder's Revenge – 8 Things From the Trailer That Have Us Excited For The Game

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder's Revenge's trailer offers plenty of reasons to be excited about the beat-'em-up game.

Animal Crossing New Horizons: 14 Pro Tips For Your Mystery Island Trip

Gearing up for a Mystery Island trip in Animal Crossing: New Horizons? These pro tips and tricks will help you make the most of it!

FlingSmash Wii Motion Plus shooting game points
10 Best Games That Utilized Wii MotionPlus

Wii MotionPlus showed up late in the Wii's life, but way more great games used it than most players realized.

Borderlands 3 Queen's Call Info Featured
Borderlands 3: 10 Things You Need To Know About The Queen's Call Pistol

The Queen's Call is one of Borderlands 3's most popular legendary pistols, and with good reason. Here's what you need to know about it.

Xenoblade Chronicles Rex and Shulk
7 Reasons Xenoblade Chronicles Is Better Than The Sequel (& 7 Why Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Is Better)

Xenoblade Chronicles has delivered two great games for Nintendo systems. We analyze both to see which one is the best.

Gears Of War 5 Kait and COG logo
Gears Of War: 10 Things You Didn't Know About The Coalition of Ordered Governments

The Coalition of Ordered Governments is a huge part of Gears of War's lore and world. What are some lesser-known things about the COG?

10 Games To Play If You Liked Gears Tactics

If you were a huge fan of Gears Tactics, you may want to consider giving these similar games a try.

Tony Hawk Best Levels Feature
The 10 Best Levels In The Tony Hawk Games

The Tony Hawk's Pro Skater franchise packs a powerful nostalgia factor, but some levels were more memorable than others. These are the best of them.

Fall Guys and Fe
10 Most Innovative Indie Platformers

The indie scene has become the home for incredible platformers. Which are the most innovative indie platforming games on the market?