VGChartz Staff - Taneli Palola (Darashiva), Writer

Having played games for most of his life, Taneli was introduced to video games at the age of 4 when his uncle bought him an NES. His favorite game series is Final Fantasy, although he generally plays all kinds of games from platformers to real-time strategy games. Besides writing mostly about video game music and history, he likes to watch movies and listen to music in his free time. Outside of gaming, he works as a teacher in Finland.

Articles

Best Original Music Score of 2022
Best Art Direction of 2022
Best Narrative of 2022
2022 in Review: Winners and Losers
Video Game Discourse Has Become Stale and Repetitive
Best Narrative of 2021
Best Original Music Score of 2021
Best Art Direction of 2021
2021 in Review: Winners and Losers
Best Narrative of 2020
Best Original Music Score of 2020
Best Art Direction of 2020
2020 in Review: Winners and Losers
Video Game Music Spotlight #18: End of the Journey
Video Game Music Spotlight #17: Best of the SNES
The $70 Lie
Video Game Music Spotlight #16: Exploring the World
Forgotten Gems #11: Uniracers/Unirally
Video Game Music Spotlight #15: Vocal Themes
Video Game Music Spotlight #14: A Moment of Calm
Gods & Superheroes: The Story of Clover Studio
Video Game Music Spotlight #13: Winter and Cold
Top 50 Games of the Decade - Part 4
VGChartz's Top 50 Video Game Composers (5-1)
2019 in Review: Winners & Losers
Best Original Music Score of 2019
Best Art Direction of 2019
VGChartz's Top 50 Video Game Composers (10-6)
VGChartz's Top 50 Video Game Composers (15-11)
Video Game Music Spotlight #12: Best of the PlayStation 1
VGChartz's Top 50 Video Game Composers (20-16)
VGChartz's Top 50 Video Game Composers (35–21)
VGChartz's Top 50 Video Game Composers (50 - 36)
Video Game Music Spotlight #11: Horror and Solitude
Live Services, Roadmaps and Broken Promises
Video Game Music Spotlight #10: Best of the Dreamcast
History of Video Games: The Birth of the Third-Party Development Model
Forgotten Gems #10: Syberia & Syberia II
Video Game Music Spotlight #9: Best of the NES
Video Game Music Spotlight #8: The Final Battle
The 10 Most Influential Real-Time Strategy Games of All Time
Ten Interesting Games From E3 2019 You May Have Missed
History of Real-Time Strategy: The Resurgence (2011 - 2018)
Video Game Music Spotlight #7: Orchestral Symphonies
History of Real-Time Strategy: The Downfall (2004 - 2010)
Video Game Music Spotlight #6: Villains
History of Real-Time Strategy: The Peak (1999 - 2003)
Video Game Music Spotlight #5: Cityscapes & Small Town Folk
Forgotten Gems #9: 3D Dot Game Heroes
Video Game Music Spotlight #4: Kingdom Hearts
History of Real-Time Strategy: The Rise (1992 - 1998)
Video Game Music Spotlight #3: Beginnings
Best Original Music Score of 2018
Best Game Nobody Played of 2018
2018 in Review: Winners & Losers
Video Game Music Spotlight #2: Snow and Ice
History of Real-Time Strategy: The Birth (1981 - 1991)
Open World Games and the Problem of Scale vs. Content
Video Game Music Spotlight #1: The Old West
Forgotten Gems #8: The Legend of Dragoon
Top 10 Best Games Based on Books
History of Metal Gear: Kojima's Farewell (Ground Zeroes & Phantom Pain)
Forgotten Gems #7: Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay
History of Metal Gear: Revenge...ance? (Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance)
Top 10 Japanese Games That Were Never Released in the West
History of Metal Gear: A Quick Detour (Spin-Offs)
Forgotten Gems #6: ActRaiser
Greatest Video Game Composers: Norihiko Hibino
History of Metal Gear: Dear Editor (Guns of the Patriots)
Ten Interesting Games From E3 2018 That You May Have Missed
History of Metal Gear: On the Go (Portable Ops & Peace Walker)
The Problem With the 'Live Services' Model
Forgotten Gems #5: Total Annihilation
VGChartz's Top 50 Video Game Soundtracks (10-1)
VGChartz's Top 50 Video Game Soundtracks (20-11)
VGChartz's Top 50 Video Game Soundtracks (30-21)
VGChartz's Top 50 Video Game Soundtracks (40-31)
VGChartz's Top 50 Video Game Soundtracks (50-41)
Forgotten Gems #4: Rogue Galaxy
History of Metal Gear: The Catalyst (Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater)
Greatest Video Game Composers: Graeme Norgate
Best Game Nobody Played of 2017
Best Original Music Score of 2017
2017 in Review: Winners & Losers
History of Metal Gear: Bait & Switch (Metal Gear Solid 2)
Forgotten Gems #3: Blast Corps
History of Metal Gear: Becoming an Icon (Metal Gear Solid)
Forgotten Gems #2: Phantom Brave
History of Metal Gear: Building the Foundation
Forgotten Gems #1: Freespace 2
Microtransactions Are Hurting and Devaluing Video Games
Greatness Through Simplicity – How Nintendo Designs Games
Forsaken Worlds and Quiet Magnificence: The Story of Team Ico and Fumito Ueda
Ten Interesting Games From E3 2017 That You May Have Missed
Ranking the Final Fantasy Series
History of Final Fantasy: Might As Well Just Make It Twice (Final Fantasy XIV)
History of Final Fantasy: Lightning Strikes Thrice (Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Lightning Returns)
Should You Buy the Nintendo Switch?
History of Final Fantasy: Paradigm Shift (Final Fantasy XIII)
History of Final Fantasy: Return to Ivalice (Final Fantasy XII)
History of Final Fantasy: Expanding the Franchise (Final Fantasy XI)
History of Final Fantasy: Wasted Potential (Final Fantasy X-2)
Greatest Video Game Composers: Nobuo Uematsu
History of Final Fantasy: Dreaming Ahead (Final Fantasy X)
History of Final Fantasy: Respecting the Past (Final Fantasy IX)
History of Final Fantasy: Into the Unknown (Final Fantasy VIII)
History of Final Fantasy: Branching Out (Final Fantasy Tactics)
History of Final Fantasy: Expanding the Universe (Compilation of Final Fantasy VII)
VGChartz's Top 50 Final Fantasy Songs (10 - 1)
History of Final Fantasy: Changing the Game (Final Fantasy VI)
VGChartz's Top 50 Final Fantasy Songs (20 - 11)
VGChartz's Top 50 Final Fantasy Songs (30 - 21)
History of Final Fantasy: Between Classics (Final Fantasy V)
VGChartz's Top 50 Final Fantasy Songs (40 - 31)
VGChartz's Top 50 Final Fantasy Songs (50 - 41)
Greatest Video Game Composers: Masashi Hamauzu
History of Final Fantasy: Growing Up (Final Fantasy IV)
History of Final Fantasy: Hunting for Jobs (Final Fantasy III)
Greatest Video Game Composers: Tim Follin
History of Final Fantasy: Grinding Down the Days (Final Fantasy II)
History of Final Fantasy: The Birth of a Franchise (Final Fantasy I)
Greatest Video Game Composers: Hitoshi Sakimoto
The Size of a Game's World is a Meaningless Measure of Quality
History of Video Games: Towards a New Generation (2011-2012)
Steam Greenlight is a Broken Mess
Greatest Video Game Composers: Peter McConnell
History of Video Games: Prelude to the Fall (2009-2010)
Top 10 Falls From Grace in Video Game History
Greatest Video Game Composers: Michiru Yamane
History of Video Games: Nintendo's Resurgence (2007-2008)
Greatest Video Game Composers: Kow Otani, Harry Gregson-Williams & Joe Hisaishi
Ten Interesting Games From E3 2016 That You May Have Missed
The Value of Voice Acting in Video Games
Greatest Video Game Composers: Frank Klepacki
History of Video Games: Dawn of a New Generation (2005-2006)
Greatest Video Game Composers: Koichi Sugiyama
Ten Games With the Most Hilariously Bad Voice Acting
History of Video Games: Struggle for Second Best (2003-2004)
Greatest Video Game Composers: Jesper Kyd
8 Completed Games That Were Never Released
History of Video Games: A War Reignited (2001-2002)
Greatest Video Game Composers: Akira Yamaoka
History of Video Games: Contrasting Fortunes (1998-2000)
Greatest Video Game Composers: Ari Pulkkinen
History of Video Games: 3D Becomes the Standard (1994-1997)
Greatest Video Game Composers: Yasunori Mitsuda
History of Video Games: The Beginning of the Console War (1989-1993)
Top Ten Games That Almost Killed Their Series
Greatest Video Game Composers: Martin O'Donnell
History of Video Games: Changing of the Guard (1983-1988)
Greatest Video Game Composers: Motoi Sakuraba
History of Video Games: The Rise of an Industry (1973-1982)
Greatest Video Game Composers: David Wise
History of Video Games: The Early Years (1940-1972)
Greatest Video Game Composers: Yoko Shimomura