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Bionicle was only good 2001-2004.


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First of all, gee, great spelling in the beginning. I'm surprised the topic wasn't instantly closed.

 

Second of all, from an objective stand point, the sets 04 onwards far surpassed anything from 01 to 03. I really like the sets from the first 3 years, but with your lack of moving elbows and knees, lack of moving necks, and a severe lack of colors, those first years were not as good function and play-wise as say, even just an Inika set. A gear function does not immediately mean +5 better than anything else points.

 

I'll maintain, all the sets did look good, and there will always be a soft spot in my heart for the first three years, but sets from 06, 07, and even 09 are just better sets than those from the first three.

 

(I'll never understand the hatred for the Inika build. It was fine, you people just whine a lot. I'm amazed you're still happy with the HF build system.)

 

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First of all, gee, great spelling in the beginning. I'm surprised the topic wasn't instantly closed.

 

Second of all, from an objective stand point, the sets 04 onwards far surpassed anything from 01 to 03. I really like the sets from the first 3 years, but with your lack of moving elbows and knees, lack of moving necks, and a severe lack of colors, those first years were not as good function and play-wise as say, even just an Inika set. A gear function does not immediately mean +5 better than anything else points.

 

I'll maintain, all the sets did look good, and there will always be a soft spot in my heart for the first three years, but sets from 06, 07, and even 09 are just better sets than those from the first three.

 

(I'll never understand the hatred for the Inika build. It was fine, you people just whine a lot. I'm amazed you're still happy with the HF build system.)

 

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It took them like 4 days to close that Bionicle leaked topic. I doubt they care about a poorly spelled opening.
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First of all, gee, great spelling in the beginning. I'm surprised the topic wasn't instantly closed.

 

Second of all, from an objective stand point, the sets 04 onwards far surpassed anything from 01 to 03. I really like the sets from the first 3 years, but with your lack of moving elbows and knees, lack of moving necks, and a severe lack of colors, those first years were not as good function and play-wise as say, even just an Inika set. A gear function does not immediately mean +5 better than anything else points.

 

I'll maintain, all the sets did look good, and there will always be a soft spot in my heart for the first three years, but sets from 06, 07, and even 09 are just better sets than those from the first three.

 

(I'll never understand the hatred for the Inika build. It was fine, you people just whine a lot. I'm amazed you're still happy with the HF build system.)

 

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Elijay's right i mean there not all bad are they. (no there not).

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It took them like 4 days to close that Bionicle leaked topic. I doubt they care about a poorly spelled opening.

 

Honestly? They left it open because they genuinely care about our community. They were fine with any discussion unrelated to the leak. The leaked images were the problem, not the analysis of whether or not a return is possible.

 

-Rez

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It took them like 4 days to close that Bionicle leaked topic. I doubt they care about a poorly spelled opening.

Honestly? They left it open because they genuinely care about our community. They were fine with any discussion unrelated to the leak. The leaked images were the problem, not the analysis of whether or not a return is possible.

 

-Rez

the topic name was about the leak and everyone talked about it -_-
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I respectfully disagree. 2005 had some of the best Bionicle books ever, 2006 had a good story all around, 2007 had dang cool games and web design, 2008 had cool flying sets and the weirdest story stack of coolness...

 

In contrast, 2001-03, while unquestionably having a mysterious feel, felt lacking in character development and storyline depth, which was a prime staple of 2004-2008. 

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It took them like 4 days to close that Bionicle leaked topic. I doubt they care about a poorly spelled opening.

Honestly? They left it open because they genuinely care about our community. They were fine with any discussion unrelated to the leak. The leaked images were the problem, not the analysis of whether or not a return is possible.

 

-Rez

the topic name was about the leak and everyone talked about it -_-

 

I don't think you get to speak on my behalf.

 

For those last few pages, aside from [very few] posts I had to edit, the conversation was theories on how, if and why Bionicle could come back. They were not about the particular alleged leak.

 

But that's not what we're here to talk about. We're here to talk about the best year in Bionicle, yes?

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First of all, gee, great spelling in the beginning. I'm surprised the topic wasn't instantly closed.

 

Second of all, from an objective stand point, the sets 04 onwards far surpassed anything from 01 to 03. I really like the sets from the first 3 years, but with your lack of moving elbows and knees, lack of moving necks, and a severe lack of colors, those first years were not as good function and play-wise as say, even just an Inika set. A gear function does not immediately mean +5 better than anything else points.

 

I'll maintain, all the sets did look good, and there will always be a soft spot in my heart for the first three years, but sets from 06, 07, and even 09 are just better sets than those from the first three.

 

(I'll never understand the hatred for the Inika build. It was fine, you people just whine a lot. I'm amazed you're still happy with the HF build system.)

 

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It took them like 4 days to close that Bionicle leaked topic. I doubt they care about a poorly spelled opening.

 

 

It seems intentionally trolly. I'm surprised (and even slightly unsure) it isn't.

 

Also I honestly prefer the levers ect of the early days. They a did something. Look at big sets later, just action figures. I don't know about you, but I think a kid would take a remote control crab vs a giant like dragon thing wth a piraka

 

Great, personal preference is fine. I have mine as well, my favorite set of all time is Toa Mata Lewa (big surprise). However, just because of that doesn't mean that a blanket statement like "everything from 05 onwards sucks big time" is right. In fact, in my opinion, it's wrong. But that's why it is an opinion.

 

And I'm not totally sure. Because with the Manas, sure, you can make them fight and what not, but with Kardas and Vezon, you can tear it apart and build whatever you want with it. In fact, goes for the grand majority of Bionicle sets from any year. But there were generally (to my knowledge) more parts in canister sets in later years, meaning more possibilities.

 

It seems that everyone dislikes clone sets, and that's fine... So why are the Toa Mata/Toa Nuva/Takanuva liked oh so much more than the Inika/Mahri/Glatorian, aside from nostalgia goggles?

 

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It took them like 4 days to close that Bionicle leaked topic. I doubt they care about a poorly spelled opening.

Honestly? They left it open because they genuinely care about our community. They were fine with any discussion unrelated to the leak. The leaked images were the problem, not the analysis of whether or not a return is possible.

 

-Rez

the topic name was about the leak and everyone talked about it -_-

I don't think you get to speak on my behalf.

 

For those last few pages, aside from [very few] posts I had to edit, the conversation was theories on how, if and why Bionicle could come back. They were not about the particular alleged leak.

 

But that's not what we're here to talk about. We're here to talk about the best year in Bionicle, yes?

Sorry :/ I feel that 2001 was the best year. It was just awesome and it had the whole mytholohical feeling and I just love it!
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Personally, it was the Toa Hordika that really hit it off for me. My first set was a Visorak, which I loved. I didn't get involved in the earlier years, so I just prefer stuff from '05 and on generally. '01-'04 were great years, but I wasn't involved in them, so I can't really say they were my favorite. Toa Lewa has always been my favorite character, however, so I have ties in both periods of Bionicle.

 

-Rez

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I for one thought the Barraki were one of the best lines from the entire first ten years! (And they came out way after the earlier years...)

 

Complex builds and unique looks! Didn't see that on any of the sets in the 2002-2004 years.

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I won't say it was terrible later on, but I certainly liked the early stuff a lot more (in my private head-canon I do reject most of the later stuff :P). The comics may have been weak as far as character development and plot intricacies, but upon examination of the entire media I would say the story was far more real. There was mystery and intrigue, as well as a very unique approach to cosmology rather lacking in fictions. Although I could never identify with toa (and really who could? They were running around saving others with elemental powers), the protagonists of the era, I could identify quite strongly with the Tohunga. Simple individuals trying to get through a struggle far larger than themselves in a universe beyond their comprehension. 

 

In short, the Bionicle Universe in 2001 was complete. Not in the sense that all was known - quite on purpose most was not - but in the sense that there was an intimate understanding of all levels of the reality. We didn't just know some of the Tohunga. We knew how they lived: the sports they played, the jobs they had, their cultures... We didn't just have an island, but we had knowledge of all the little places that seemed to matter less significant in the large scheme of thing - Tren Krom Redoubt, for instance. We even knew the history of these places, how Ta-Koro extended beyond the shadow of Mangai all the way to the beach, but was driven back by the Rahi.

 

All this depth and complexity was dropped. The mysticism was thrown out to make room for the brotherhood of makuta, the order of mata nui, etc. A Great Spirit was replaced by a giant robot. 

 

I also prefered the sets. Certainly I'm happier with more joints, but they were Technic sets. They actually did things. You could try to punch off Tahu's mask with a Tarakava, or a bohrok's head. As a kid, this offered a lot more as far as playability.

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The sets steadily improved through the years. The Inika build, while not what I'd call the epitome of variation, was quite possibly the best and most versatile of the many pre-built torsos we've been presented with over the years. I would have liked to see more variation in the latter years as much as the next fan, but the only other realistic variation they could have gone with was more of the Piraka torso, which, in terms of general shape and connection points, was completely inadequate.
 
In terms of story, though, I'd have to agree that the early years were better by a long shot. I used to be somewhat of a latter-year apologist, but the number of shortcomings it had have only become more glaring over the years. The best story atmosphere was in the early years, before the universe was built up. I love world-building, but the downside to doing so is losing mystery, and the mystery of the first few years far outweighs the convoluted mess of latter sagas.

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2001-2005 surely had something special for a lot of people(incluiding me). While I can agree that 2006 was a pretty good year, I think Bionicle lost some "innocence" that year, idk...

 

Also, I always found bionicle "repetitive" in terms of hero characters(The Toa).

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I always thought bionicle lost "Innocence" in 2008 before that nobody really died then 2008 rolled around and people were dropping like flies

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As long as there is one bionicle fan out there there is still hope for bionicle to return. Keep faith. Bionicle is amazing.

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Oh god, please don't tell me you're one of those people who think that the gen 1 Pokemon are the only real Pokemon. =P

 

Yes, I know, the 2001-04 sets/story was pretty great, but anything from 2005 and up is definitely not "bad". But people seriously shouldn't be so narrow-minded about, well, anything. There were sets that are finally not clones, unlike most of the 01-04 sets. The plot was also more complex, introducing a lot of backstory for just almost everything, like the MU origins or something like Karzanhi. And 2006 above=great pieces.

 

But honestly I found the 2006-08 one of my favorite part of Bionicle, in many ways more than one.

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2006 started a weird downward spiral into a weird sort of "grittiness" where it felt like the writers were making fun of how bionicle began, almost; Toa would comment that they "aren't like other toa" as they bring down mountains and beat people up mercilessly because the less you care about the consequences of senseless violence the cooler you are apparently. that was one of many, many problems that started in the 2005-2007 time frame.

 

Sets, honestly, are harder to judge. I still despise that the Inika torso build was used almost entirely unedited in so many sets because to me, using almost the exact same torso says more about the lack of effort put into having variety than to some misplaced notion that being able to slap limbs onto the same torso to make similar-looking humanoid canister sets four years in a row makes it an epitome of versatility. But if there's one thing I can speak of boldly and unapologetically, it's that the story just plain stunk after a while.

 

The only remark I was going to make in this topic was an image like this because, well, this topic definitely started off that way. But since actual discussion seems to have emerged, I figured it was time to once again forcefully throw my opinions where no one asked for them.

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2006 started a weird downward spiral into a weird sort of "grittiness" where it felt like the writers were making fun of how bionicle began, almost; Toa would comment that they "aren't like other toa" as they bring down mountains and beat people up mercilessly because the less you care about the consequences of senseless violence the cooler you are apparently. that was one of many, many problems that started in the 2005-2007 time frame.

 

Another excellent point. Despite the depth in plot, early Bionicle was very black and white when it came to good and evil. That's not to say that a tragic hero or moral shades of grey have no value - in fact, they are important aspects in many of my favorite media. However, sometimes the simpler approach was the better, and Bionicle was a perfect slate for that. The good guys always won, in the end, and they were the epitome of what the good guys should be. Same with the big bad. And in Bionicle, that was the proper approach in my honest opinion.

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2006 started a weird downward spiral into a weird sort of "grittiness" where it felt like the writers were making fun of how bionicle began, almost; Toa would comment that they "aren't like other toa" as they bring down mountains and beat people up mercilessly because the less you care about the consequences of senseless violence the cooler you are apparently. that was one of many, many problems that started in the 2005-2007 time frame.

 

Another excellent point. Despite the depth in plot, early Bionicle was very black and white when it came to good and evil. That's not to say that a tragic hero or moral shades of grey have no value - in fact, they are important aspects in many of my favorite media. However, sometimes the simpler approach was the better, and Bionicle was a perfect slate for that. The good guys always won, in the end, and they were the epitome of what the good guys should be. Same with the big bad. And in Bionicle, that was the proper approach in my honest opinion.

 

 

To say what happened was a greying of morality is giving the writer(s) far too much credit. At the end of the day, we were still supposed to believe in concrete good and evil in this universe, even when the "concrete good" is practically murdering to achieve their goals, often unnecessarily.

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Web of Shadows was pretty good tho. Better than MoL IMO.
 

 

2006 started a weird downward spiral into a weird sort of "grittiness" where it felt like the writers were making fun of how bionicle began, almost; Toa would comment that they "aren't like other toa" as they bring down mountains and beat people up mercilessly because the less you care about the consequences of senseless violence the cooler you are apparently. that was one of many, many problems that started in the 2005-2007 time frame.

 
Another excellent point. Despite the depth in plot, early Bionicle was very black and white when it came to good and evil. That's not to say that a tragic hero or moral shades of grey have no value - in fact, they are important aspects in many of my favorite media. However, sometimes the simpler approach was the better, and Bionicle was a perfect slate for that. The good guys always won, in the end, and they were the epitome of what the good guys should be. Same with the big bad. And in Bionicle, that was the proper approach in my honest opinion.

 


I would say that blurring good and evil was one of the things that made late-bionicle. The sheer irony that came with characters like Krika and Brutaka, who kinda hovered between the good and the bad side, made the more down-to-earh approach story work. It's like holding a mirror up to Bionicle, which is exactly what the fans growing up would be doing at that point.

Still, the line would probably have lasted longer if only they just stuck to escapism. I mean, come on, in 2008 Greg even started to touch Bionicle politics. All was lost that day.


4 real lik serosly bonkle sukd after 2004


I like how you call it "Bonkle".

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Web of Shadows was pretty good tho. Better than MoL IMO.

 

 

2006 started a weird downward spiral into a weird sort of "grittiness" where it felt like the writers were making fun of how bionicle began, almost; Toa would comment that they "aren't like other toa" as they bring down mountains and beat people up mercilessly because the less you care about the consequences of senseless violence the cooler you are apparently. that was one of many, many problems that started in the 2005-2007 time frame.

 

Another excellent point. Despite the depth in plot, early Bionicle was very black and white when it came to good and evil. That's not to say that a tragic hero or moral shades of grey have no value - in fact, they are important aspects in many of my favorite media. However, sometimes the simpler approach was the better, and Bionicle was a perfect slate for that. The good guys always won, in the end, and they were the epitome of what the good guys should be. Same with the big bad. And in Bionicle, that was the proper approach in my honest opinion.

 

I would say that blurring good and evil was one of the things that made late-bionicle. The sheer irony that came with characters like Krika and Brutaka, who kinda hovered between the good and the bad side, made the more down-to-earh approach story work. It's like holding a mirror up to Bionicle, which is exactly what the fans growing up would be doing at that point.

 

 

Then you should look at Greg's answers to fan questions where he says Krika was still evil, and his opposition to Teridax's plans came from self-serving desires. Black and white morality never really ceased being a thing Bionicle clung to like a limpet.

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Every year IMO had it's ups and downs. Nostalgia can be very strong, and cause us to believe older things were better than newer things, even though they might not be. 01-03 had next to no articulation, and while functions were cool, they could get in the way and make it hard to pose.

 

Characters really started to get dark and developed starting in 06, and the story took a turn (a good one, I think) for a more mature plot. As Eljay stated above, way too many people hate on the inika build. At least there was some variation, compared to the hf system which can usually be understood by just looking at box art :P

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All this depth and complexity was dropped. The mysticism was thrown out to make room for the brotherhood of makuta, the order of mata nui, etc. A Great Spirit was replaced by a giant robot.

Mata Nui was a giant robot all along. In fact, it was the most basic concept of BIONICLE everything else was built upon.

 

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I always thought bionicle lost "Innocence" in 2008 before that nobody really died then 2008 rolled around and people were dropping like flies

Nidhiki and Krekka would like a word with you

Yea and Matoro :P

 

 

And a matoran from Mahri Nui that suffocated on the coast of Voya Nui and god knows how many other characters that died in some way.

 

So yeah, there was plenty of death before 2008.

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All this depth and complexity was dropped. The mysticism was thrown out to make room for the brotherhood of makuta, the order of mata nui, etc. A Great Spirit was replaced by a giant robot.

Mata Nui was a giant robot all along. In fact, it was the most basic concept of BIONICLE everything else was built upon.

 

-Gata signoff.png

 

This. It really betrays people's ignorance when they treat this as a big change when it was in fact the driving force behind the story from the very beginning. Was it a surprise? Of course. That doesn't mean there weren't plenty of hints. Even the name of the island (Mata Nui="Great Face") and its landmarks (Ihu="nose", Hura Mafa="stream of tears") hinted at the truth behind the legend of Mata Nui.
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I won't say it was terrible later on, but I certainly liked the early stuff a lot more (in my private head-canon I do reject most of the later stuff :P). The comics may have been weak as far as character development and plot intricacies, but upon examination of the entire media I would say the story was far more real. There was mystery and intrigue, as well as a very unique approach to cosmology rather lacking in fictions. Although I could never identify with toa (and really who could? They were running around saving others with elemental powers), the protagonists of the era, I could identify quite strongly with the Tohunga. Simple individuals trying to get through a struggle far larger than themselves in a universe beyond their comprehension. 

 

In short, the Bionicle Universe in 2001 was complete. Not in the sense that all was known - quite on purpose most was not - but in the sense that there was an intimate understanding of all levels of the reality. We didn't just know some of the Tohunga. We knew how they lived: the sports they played, the jobs they had, their cultures... We didn't just have an island, but we had knowledge of all the little places that seemed to matter less significant in the large scheme of thing - Tren Krom Redoubt, for instance. We even knew the history of these places, how Ta-Koro extended beyond the shadow of Mangai all the way to the beach, but was driven back by the Rahi.

 

All this depth and complexity was dropped. The mysticism was thrown out to make room for the brotherhood of makuta, the order of mata nui, etc. A Great Spirit was replaced by a giant robot. 

 

I also prefered the sets. Certainly I'm happier with more joints, but they were Technic sets. They actually did things. You could try to punch off Tahu's mask with a Tarakava, or a bohrok's head. As a kid, this offered a lot more as far as playability.

 

I could not agree more. I understand that there are plenty of people that enjoy the entirety of BIONICLE, and I respect and appreciate that. I don't believe that there is anything inherently "wrong" with the later years, but their aesthetic diverges greatly from what BIONICLE originally was and, for me, it just isn't appealing. I'm not going to make some silly claim that 2001-2003 is objectively better, or that it was perfect in every way. But it did cater to what I look for in a story - a world created with care and brought to life by making it three-dimensional and multifaceted. the Mata Nui online game made the culture and the people of the island feel real and relate-able, and brought you to be invested in the Tohunga's story as a result. We didn't get that later on, or at least not in precisely the same way. What BIONICLE was fundamentally changed, and while that isn't really a bad thing I just don't personally find the new BIONICLE appealing. It has it's own set of strengths that, understandably, aren't going to sell it or make it uniquely special to everyone. Just as with 2001-2003.

 

 

This. It really betrays people's ignorance when they treat this as a big change when it was in fact the driving force behind the story from the very beginning. Was it a surprise? Of course. That doesn't mean there weren't plenty of hints. Even the name of the island (Mata Nui="Great Face") and its landmarks (Ihu="nose", Hura Mafa="stream of tears") hinted at the truth behind the legend of Mata Nui.

I personally am totally behind the idea of Mata Nui being a robot, but I think it is worth considering that, in a certain way, whether or not it was planned from the beginning doesn't matter. The truth about Mata Nui was something behind-the-scenes and didn't have much bearing on how things were presented in the early years versus the later years. Just because the plan was for Mata Nui to be a giant robot all along doesn't mean that it doesn't fit with BIONICLE's original tone from some perspectives.

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believe victims. its actually not that hard, and youd look kind of bad if you were to, say, side with an abuser because theyre your friend

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As someone who's been there since the beginning, who's childhood was defined by Tahu and the others, the MNOG and all that.. I disagree.

Same. Sure, it got different in set and story style and both had issues (not that they didn't have them before), but I can't say it was only bad in 2001-2004. Some of my favourite years of BIONICLE came later, like 2006 and 2008.

 

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I always thought bionicle lost "Innocence" in 2008 before that nobody really died then 2008 rolled around and people were dropping like flies

Nidhiki and Krekka would like a word with you

 

Yea and Matoro :P

 

 

And a matoran from Mahri Nui that suffocated on the coast of Voya Nui and god knows how many other characters that died in some way.

 

So yeah, there was plenty of death before 2008.

 

Lhikan called. He agrees.

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I'm going to through my opinion into the mix. I thought Bionicle did pretty good up until 07 when they started repeating the Inika and piraka build. I Like all the years, but seeing the inika build over and over again was a little annoying. But hey, minor complaints I guess. It's really hard to keep coming up with new designs when you get a really versatile one. I have to admit, I find the inika and piraka builds very versatile. Feel free to disagree with me if you happen to disagree, but please be respectful about it.

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