Bionicle was only good 2001-2004.

[Heontris]

It's not that they weren't great, they were just a little too fast and danger after danger to explore the relationship between each Inika.

Yeah, the impending death of your god/universe tends to do that to you . You usually don't wait for it to happen, rather you'll usually try to prevent it (I hope so at least).

 

And I need to read those again.

 

But yeah, that impending doom made me really enjoy that year and the next until Mak's takeover. (And I still liked if after (that you serials).)

Edited August 23, 2014 by Heontris

[Liopleurodon]

I'm going to split this post up by categories:

 

Sets:

• Collectibles: These were definitely best 2001-2004. I felt that from Rhotuka on, collectibles tended to be more of projectiles than collectibles. While this is also true of the Kanoka, it seemed there was still a larger variety of different Kanoka to collect (or it might be because of nostalgia for the Throwbots/McToran disks ).
• Small sets: I liked the 2001-2003 and 2006-2007 small sets best. From 2001-2003, the small sets were adorable (especially the McToran if we include those   ), and still had functions. The 2003 Matoran in particular struck a good balance between functions, poseability, and aesthetics. And between 2006-2007, while the Matoran lacked functions or new parts, their designs incorporated already-existing parts in ingenious ways (Bohrok foot for torso in 2006 and reuse of Toa Hordika armor in 2007 were awesome).
• Canister sets: I honestly liked 2003-2005 the most for these. Sets like the Rahkshi, Toa Metru, and Visorak had a good balance between functions, poseability and aesthetics (like the 2003 Matoran I mentioned earlier). Plus not all of them were humanoid.
• Large humanoid sets: If we only include large humanoid sets here, I'd say 2004-2008 were the best years for titans. 2004 and 2005 saw custom torso designs, poseability, and gear functions. While 2006 and 2008 titans no longer had functions, I liked their aesthetics and poseability, and titans like Maxilos, Gadunka, and 2008 Takanuva had pretty creative designs.
• Large non-humanoid sets: 2001-2003 had some great Rahi and vehicle designs with functions. Likewise, the 2008-2009 vehicles were awesome too. 

Story:

• Setting: 2001-2003 had the most emphasis on the setting, thanks to the MNOGs, and I felt that we got to know the island of Mata Nui better than the other locations. Later, we saw other locations, but they weren't as well fleshed-out compared to Mata Nui. I think the focus on setting is part of the reason Bionicle felt so mysterious in its early years.
• Characters: 2001-2003 were outstanding for the depth given to the Matoran and their daily lives. However, I felt that 2004-2005 had the best character development with the Toa Metru. After 2006, a lot of introduced characters tended to be more dark and calculating, like the Piraka and Barraki.
• Complexity: The story was definitely most complex 2007-2008, when the web serials were introduced and let us see side stories with characters not seen in main story. In addition, this part of the story felt like it was wrapping up loose ends from previous years, and for once we finally got to see what Makuta had been plotting all those previous years.

Looking at these, I feel that each year had its own different strengths and weaknesses. Set-wise, 2001-2004 had the best functions, while 2006-2010 had the best poseability. Story-wise, 2001-2003 emphasized the atmosphere while later years emphasized the characters more (or that's how I see it   ). Honestly, while 2001-2004 are the most nostalgic years for me, I can't really say that they're necessarily better than later years. It's mostly a matter of personal taste, but personally I liked all the years of Bionicle (not sure about 2015 yet though, we'll have to wait for that). 

 

NOW LET'S GO BASH ON HERO FACTORY!1!1! Just kidding. 

[Matoro Zeliph]

What a troll topic, made by a troll user (considering "his" age is 95 years old). But I have to admit, I really like 2001-2005 Bionicle sets/storyline the most.

How can you miss 2005? That was the coolest part! The sets were awesome, introduce of Bionicle System, and it shown the Toa Metru coming of age! 

[Wrinkledlion X]

Personally, I think Bionicle's biggest flaw was that it lost its sense of playfulness and worldbuilding midway through its run. I'd place the blame on 2006, when the plot started accelerating way too fast for Greg to handle.

 

'06 actually had a lot of great stuff in its first half; the first two books of that year are some of my favorite Bionicle stories ever published. They introduced a lot of relatable characters and quality world-building—the Matoran were charming, the Piraka were charismatic villains, and the whole Karzahni sequence was wonderfully mythological. Though darker in tone than what came before, it felt a lot like the story was going back to its mythic roots, and the plot was unfolding organically. About halfway through the year, though, it degenerated into a frenetic mess of action scenes.

 

I feel a bit bad blaming Greg here, because I think he's a stand-up guy who's very capable of good writing, but things got substantially worse when he became the sole head of story. 2006 and on had good moments, but he complicated the story too much and refused to give the characters a moment of rest. It still blows my mind that 2006-2008 were meant to take place over a couple weeks. That was a terrible decision, and I feel it probably would have been nixed had Greg been working as a part of story team instead of on his own. The story became so rushed that it felt very little like his 2004-2005 novels, which were spacious and well-paced. Where his older novels bring to mind characters exploring new locations and interacting with each other, his 2006+ novels mostly bring to mind a lot of wisecracks in the middle of battles.

 

I think it's this weird time dilation that screwed with the story. 2001 to 2003 weren't very plot-heavy, but they hit some good dramatic beats and left a lot of the action implied—we know the Toa spent a lot of time collecting masks, krana, etc., but we only saw a few instances of each. This left the plot leisurely and open-ended, unlike the overcrowded years that came later. In 2007 or so, they established that the whole decade of Bionicle's story took place in less than a year, but I always interpreted those early story years as taking place over a pretty long time. I would have guessed that the Toa Nuva spent at least a year or two just on Mata Nui before leaving.

[Klak]

gr8 b8 m8

[ToaJaller77]

Oh, so BIONICLE has a GEEWUNner fanbase now? Great.

[Heontris]

I think I already threw in my two cents, but if I did, here is a few more.

 

1. If it was Gen. 1 only, they would hate anything not Toa Mata

2. Of course there are people that enjoy earlier over later, just like there are people who enjoy later over earlier, or who like all of them the same

(Like Pokémon.)

3. Mata Nui was a very kind land. I do agree that it was like a mini paradise, but that us why some liked it. Voya Nui, where many people started to dislike BIONICLE, it was the opposite of a paradise. It was designed to be nearly uninhabitable, so that the Mask of Life would be safe.

4. I loved it when it was darker, although the Metru truly were my favourite in terms of story. Also, Mata Nui will hold a special spot, as it was where it all began.

5. Sure the sales show that the first few were more popular, that happens. It doesn't mean they are bad afterwards by any means (or why would LEGO stay with it for so long?).

 

If you want to argue with me, fine, but this is my stance, and I hope you will respect mine as I respect yours.