BIONICLE Confirmed for 2015

[TheSkeletonMan939]

You all realize this is just like coming up with a "cool" nickname for yourself, right? Anyone remember when Charlie Brown named himself "Flash" and everyone laughed at him?

 

 

Good 'ol Charlie Brown. I remember that storyline.

 

Considering Ninjago and Chima have had TV shows, and Hero Factory sooorrtt of has one, would you say there's a chance Bionicle might get one as well?

 

If they do then they totally need to get Nathan Furst to compose.

[Lyichir]

 

You all realize this is just like coming up with a "cool" nickname for yourself, right? Anyone remember when Charlie Brown named himself "Flash" and everyone laughed at him?

 

Good 'ol Charlie Brown. I remember that storyline.

 

Considering Ninjago and Chima have had TV shows, and Hero Factory sooorrtt of has one, would you say there's a chance Bionicle might get one as well?

 

If they do then they totally need to get Nathan Furst to compose.

 

I think there's a significant chance that there might be (Greg has said there are no comics planned for next year in no uncertain terms, a movie would not likely be done at least for a year or two, and I can't imagine a total lack of visual story media). I would disagree about Nathan Furst, though. The new Bionicle needs a new and distinct sound, and Furst's scores, while catchy enough, never really conveyed that to me. I want a score to Bionicle that sounds like it couldn't fit as well for anything else—something that, when you hear it, the context is immediately known. For that I'd rather have someone for whom Bionicle is more than just another project. If I had anyone in mind, I'd recommend the same team behind Ninjago, who have proven that they can create a distinct aural language for their scores which convey both mood and meaning.

[dotcom]

I still don't understand the people that are concerned that Bionewcle won't have a "complex" and "serious" story, like the original. I mean....it took like six years for Bionicle's complexity to really start to spiral out of control.  When it just started out the story was as simple as six toa collecting masks to fight mind-controlled animals. I can definitely see a lot of people complaining that Bionewcle will be "dumbed down" simply because it doesn't have all the same kind of media as the original line did in its later days. I dunno. I've just been seeing a lot of people voicing that kind of concern, which to me seems pretty silly since we have no idea how long the new Bionicle will last, and regardless of how long that will be, expecting it to be like the old one right off the bat (or honestly, at any point) is mostly just setting themselves up to be disappointed....

[Aanchir]

I still don't understand the people that are concerned that Bionewcle won't have a "complex" and "serious" story, like the original. I mean....it took like six years for Bionicle's complexity to really start to spiral out of control.  When it just started out the story was as simple as six toa collecting masks to fight mind-controlled animals. I can definitely see a lot of people complaining that Bionewcle will be "dumbed down" simply because it doesn't have all the same kind of media as the original line did in its later days. I dunno. I've just been seeing a lot of people voicing that kind of concern, which to me seems pretty silly since we have no idea how long the new Bionicle will last, and regardless of how long that will be, expecting it to be like the old one right off the bat (or honestly, at any point) is mostly just setting themselves up to be disappointed....

I think some people confuse vocabulary with complexity. The BIONICLE Lexicon in 2002 was fairly large, after all. But the same would be true if the Legends of Chima website had all its jargon compiled in one place. After all, just like BIONICLE, Chima has a name for pretty much everything. Every weapon, character, or Speedor has a name of its own thanks to the trading card game.

 

This is where people also confuse tone with complexity. People assume that because Legends of Chima has such a childish storytelling style, it's not complex. But this couldn't be further from the truth — it's very complex AND very childish.

 

As you say, it would not be difficult for the new BIONICLE to measure up to classic BIONICLE in terms of complexity. But people will still insist that it's less complex if it should differ significantly in either of those other areas.

[Vorahk1Panrahk2]

I, for one, am hoping the new BIONICLE is less complex than what it was in the later years. I found the story way too difficult to follow on account of how many characters and storylines there where, and it didn't help that they where spread across several different media types (comic, book, serial, movie). And I know I'm not the only one on this forum to mention the complexity of the storyline as a negative so I don't think I'm just too dumb to get it.

 

Don't me wrong, though, I would like for the world building element to remain the same. Wherever the new story is taking place, I want it to feel like a lived in world with a history. 2001 did this very well with the detailed maps, character bios, and (most obviously) with the Mata Nui Online Game. BIONICLE doesn't have to be complex (or "dark and gritty") to be interesting, just immersive.

[TheSpecial]

Edit: Please see the Leaked Content Policy.

-Wind-

 

Whoops. Sorry, I forgot about that.

Edited September 12, 2014 by TheSpecial

[dviddy]

I still don't understand the people that are concerned that Bionewcle won't have a "complex" and "serious" story, like the original. I mean....it took like six years for Bionicle's complexity to really start to spiral out of control.  When it just started out the story was as simple as six toa collecting masks to fight mind-controlled animals. I can definitely see a lot of people complaining that Bionewcle will be "dumbed down" simply because it doesn't have all the same kind of media as the original line did in its later days. I dunno. I've just been seeing a lot of people voicing that kind of concern, which to me seems pretty silly since we have no idea how long the new Bionicle will last, and regardless of how long that will be, expecting it to be like the old one right off the bat (or honestly, at any point) is mostly just setting themselves up to be disappointed....

I mean, to be honest, the main story was never complex. Six heroes up against most likely six villains (or six groups of hive villains) with a few larger sets playing some sort of secondary role, looking for some macguffin. That's basically it. The story had an illusion of depth and complexity because it was needlessly detailed. Every random side character had some role in a serial, every random word needed an explanation, every element needed detailed colour assignments, every secondary or even tertiary mystery needed a detailed, technical explanation, etc. There were a lot of characters with a lot of information not relevant to the main plot, and it complicated the main storyline, giving an illusion of complexity where there really wasn't. If the new line leaves that behind, I, for one, would be exceptionally glad.

[PDPsi HAN]

DeeVee actually makes a lot of sense here. Was there any really need to have such complexity in all of the characters? With everyone asking Greg nitpicky questions about the littlest things the fanservice might have been like a large puddle. A lot of stuff, but all shallow. 

[Kopekemaster]

Just thought of this:

 

We've seen LEGO recently branch out (a little bit, but still) into some trading card game things, with Ninjago and Chima.

I don't know if they would go for it, but it would be darn cool if LEGO made a tabletop RPG thing for Bionicle. I would buy that in a heartbeat.

 

(providing it wasn't priced exorbitantly)

Edited September 12, 2014 by Kopekemaster

[fishers64]

I thought that Lego made a trading card game for Bionicle back in 2001-03 days, so it wouldn't be completely unprecedented. 

 

Tabletop RPG might be a little much though - to my knowledge Lego has never done that. 

[Aanchir]

I thought that Lego made a trading card game for Bionicle back in 2001-03 days, so it wouldn't be completely unprecedented. 

 

Tabletop RPG might be a little much though - to my knowledge Lego has never done that.

Also, from what I've seen, tabletop RPGs and things like that are more popular with the high school and college crowds than they are with kids of the ages that LEGO tends to target. And even among those older teens and young adults, they're kind of niche.

 

It's not that the LEGO Group COULDN'T do this — in fact, Greg Farshtey himself used to write role-playing guide books. But I don't think it would be seen as a particularly sound investment. Not that it particularly matters — I'm sure if enough BIONICLE fans are interested, it would be simple enough for them to put together their own unofficial role-playing guides, much as a lot of other fan communities have done.

[Kopekemaster]

I thought that Lego made a trading card game for Bionicle back in 2001-03 days, so it wouldn't be completely unprecedented. 

 

Tabletop RPG might be a little much though - to my knowledge Lego has never done that. 

Oh, derp, I forgot about those. XD

[Hitoshura]

Or maybe they could do it with those lego game sets, perhaps.

[Lyichir]

Or maybe they could do it with those lego game sets, perhaps.

Not likely. The Lego Games theme was not all that successful, which is why it's no longer around.

[Kopekemaster]

Or maybe they could do it with those lego game sets, perhaps.

Plus, it's kind of a whole different thing (pretty pre-determined games versus RPGs), that I'm not sure how well they'd be able to do with that kind of setup.

[TheSpecial]

What if this mask is the new avohkii?

Edited September 13, 2014 by TheSpecial

[Lyichir]

 

Or maybe they could do it with those lego game sets, perhaps.

Plus, it's kind of a whole different thing (pretty pre-determined games versus RPGs), that I'm not sure how well they'd be able to do with that kind of setup.

 

Well, Heroica was sort of Lego's take on a tabletop RPG (featuring customizable quests and plenty of microfigs for standard RPG classes). But it was no more successful than the rest of the line, unfortunately.

[Hitoshura]

What if this mask is the new avohkii?

It doesn't look like the Avohkii, thought why would they have a new avohkii?

[Kopekemaster]

 

 

Or maybe they could do it with those lego game sets, perhaps.

Plus, it's kind of a whole different thing (pretty pre-determined games versus RPGs), that I'm not sure how well they'd be able to do with that kind of setup.

 

Well, Heroica was sort of Lego's take on a tabletop RPG (featuring customizable quests and plenty of microfigs for standard RPG classes). But it was no more successful than the rest of the line, unfortunately.

 

Well, what I'm meaning is that, even with Heroica, there was sort of a fixed end that could be gotten to, and you were still somewhat confined to the actual physical thing of the game, even if it is customizable.

[TheSpecial]

 

 

What if this mask is the new avohkii?

It doesn't look like the Avohkii, thought why would they have a new avohkii?

Well I know it doesn't look anything like an avohkii, but if they were rebooting the franchise, they could do a mask of light storyline, releasing takanuva later this year.

[believe victims]

 

 

What if this mask is the new avohkii?

It doesn't look like the Avohkii, thought why would they have a new avohkii?

Well I know it doesn't look anything like an avohkii, but if they were rebooting the franchise, they could do a mask of light storyline, releasing takanuva later this year.

 

 

by that same logic, it could be the mask of time, or the mask of life. It resembles neither, but they could do a storyline for either, and they were both gold.

 

i'd say this is almost guaranteed to be a new mask, at least as far as being one that was never used in sets before. It could be a mask only described in the stories, but I can almost guarantee this is not going to be an old mask. (I say almost because 2008 showed that they don't always make masks look anything like they've looked before, but I'd like to think they've learned from that awful, awful mistake.)

[Lyichir]

 

 

 

What if this mask is the new avohkii?

It doesn't look like the Avohkii, thought why would they have a new avohkii?

 

Well I know it doesn't look anything like an avohkii, but if they were rebooting the franchise, they could do a mask of light storyline, releasing takanuva later this year.

 

 

by that same logic, it could be the mask of time, or the mask of life. It resembles neither, but they could do a storyline for either, and they were both gold.

 

i'd say this is almost guaranteed to be a new mask, at least as far as being one that was never used in sets before. It could be a mask only described in the stories, but I can almost guarantee this is not going to be an old mask. (I say almost because 2008 showed that they don't always make masks look anything like they've looked before, but I'd like to think they've learned from that awful, awful mistake.)

 

I imagine they have indeed learned from that, especially since lately Hero Factory has done a much better job of it (since the Breakout arc, where the Heroes returned to their original faces, they've consistently used variations on those to represent the same characters). And of course, unlike Bionicle, the aesthetics of mask design aren't likely to shift as dramatically over the course of this story—I myself would have had trouble making the blobby and organic Kanohi Nuva into masks which fit the more angular aesthetic of later Bionicle (and while most of the 2008 masks did poorly at that, I think the 2008 Kakama Nuva was an excellent update, especially once they paired it with the newer visor that had flaring wings).

 

I do agree that this is unlikely to be an old mask. That said, if this is a reboot they have plenty of freedom to dramatically change the look of a mask from the start and then maintain its look going forward. A new Mask of Light in particular might well look different, especially if its story role changes (for instance, if a different character dons it and they want that character to look distinct from Takanuva).

[Willess12]

     People have been discussing whether it will be a reboot or a continuation.  Why not both?

     I just had a thought.  Let's say that the Great Beings design a Mask SM inhabitants can use.  Among the many masks they design, one is the Mohtrek.  For some reason, some old SM inhabitant, maybe Tuma, uses the mask.  A past version of Tuma is killed, and the future is completely rewritten, because, in the past, Tuma saved the Great Being now possessing Velika, and that Great Being now dies, and he doesn't contribute all of his ideas to the MU.  The Great Beings stop the Shattering, and Tahu and his group remain on SM, where they encounter... well, you know.  Bingo, you have a reboot AND a continuation.  It doesn't have to be exactly like that, but, if it is a reboot, we can always say later that's what happened, even if Lego never does.  In fact, it just so happens I have a fanfic where this very thing kinda happens. 

     Think of it.  We could change everything.  Maybe the whole one-gender tribes thing was all that Great Being's idea.  Maybe the GB's make Le-Matoran all female.  Maybe the GSR crashes on a completely unknown planet, home of... well, you know.  Maybe Lewa is now a Toa of Jungle or something.  Takua dies while building the GSR, and the Great Beings completely rethink their Matoran design.  The possibilities are endless.

[TheSkeletonMan939]

     People have been discussing whether it will be a reboot or a continuation.  Why not both?

     I just had a thought.  Let's say that the Great Beings design a Mask SM inhabitants can use.  Among the many masks they design, one is the Mohtrek.  For some reason, some old SM inhabitant, maybe Tuma, uses the mask.  A past version of Tuma is killed, and the future is completely rewritten, because, in the past, Tuma saved the Great Being now possessing Velika, and that Great Being now dies, and he doesn't contribute all of his ideas to the MU.  The Great Beings stop the Shattering, and Tahu and his group remain on SM, where they encounter... well, you know.

 

Not only does the Mohtrek not work that way (maybe the Mask of Time would be able to do that), but SM inhabitants can't use masks. And besides, how does Tuma doing something about Velika stop the Shattering? And if the Shattering is stopped, why would the GBs bother making the MU at that point?

 

Already your proposed storyline would be confusing for new fans. Heck, it's confusing to me, and I've been with Bionicle for ten years! Why do a reboot if you're just dumping a bunch of information on the newcomers like that? You might as well continue the old story at that point.

 

It doesn't have to be exactly like that, but, if it is a reboot, we can always say later that's what happened, even if Lego never does.

 

Dang. That's a pretty bold statement. Does... does that mean we could say 2001 - 2010 was the result of a "reboot" like what you're suggesting? I mean, there's nothing to DISPROVE it... but that's pretty insane headcanon.

 

  In fact, it just so happens I have a fanfic where this very thing kinda happens.

 

Oh.

     

Think of it.  We could change everything.  Maybe the whole one-gender tribes thing was all that Great Being's idea.  Maybe the GB's make Le-Matoran all female.  Maybe the GSR crashes on a completely unknown planet, home of... well, you know.  Maybe Lewa is now a Toa of Jungle or something.  Takua dies while building the GSR, and the Great Beings completely rethink their Matoran design.  The possibilities are endless.

 

Wait... we? I'm totally lost at this point. And your next two sentences totally contradict... if Velika alone had the one-gender tribes idea, and he was stopped, why would the GB's next instinct be to make one-gender tribes? Is an all-female tribe somehow better than an all-male tribe? What's this about Takua dying? Why rethink the Matoran design?

 

Plot inconsistencies aside, it's not a bad idea - but it just throws way too much information at you out of nowhere, and that's going to be a HUGE turnoff for new fans. They'll be like, "Cool, new Bionicles! I've heard about Bionicles. I wonder why the good guys are fighting the bad guys? What's this? I have to sift through ten years worth of story? Forget it then, I'm buying a Transformer."

[Willess12]

To quote BS01,

 

If a past self is killed, the user will vanish, and an alternate timeline where they did not exist will be created.

 

So, yes, a Mohtrek does work that way.  Well, kinda, anyway.

 

And if my ideas were confusing, it was mostly just because I made stuff up as I went along.  No two ideas were inherently connected, I just tossed ideas around for how Lego could make Bionicle better (or worse, depending on your view) -- no mono-gender tribes, different mono-gender tribes, Matoran being different.  And, yeah, you're right, Lego probably won't do that (though Greg might in a serial) but it was partly a headcanon idea.

 

Actually, if it's a reboot, maybe Greg will make a serial like that.  A nod to the old fans, but not necessary to understand the new story.  If it does turn out to be a reboot, maybe someone could suggest that to Greg.

 

BTW: I did not bring up that idea because I used it in a fanfic.  More like, halfway through that paragraph, I remembered I had a fanfic once like that.

[Vorahk1Panrahk2]

I think the problem with your idea, Willess, is that it would start the new line off with the problem that plagued BIONICLE in its later years: too much extra stuff (see DeeVee's post above).

 

If BIONICLE is going to be started up again, new fans need to be able to follow it without having any knowledge of the ten years that came before. And if you try to connect the new story with the ten years of story that came prior, you're going to give new fans (and old ones) a major headache. And I seriously doubt a "nod to the old fans" serial will be written, as any material for the line will (or at least should) be expected to be read by those just following it for the first time. 

 

If the new BIONICLE is a separate continuity, it should stay that way. No weird bridging fanservice needed.

 

(But it might make for a good fanfic. )

Edited September 13, 2014 by Vorahk1Panrahk2

[Ektris]

 

I still don't understand the people that are concerned that Bionewcle won't have a "complex" and "serious" story, like the original. I mean....it took like six years for Bionicle's complexity to really start to spiral out of control.  When it just started out the story was as simple as six toa collecting masks to fight mind-controlled animals. I can definitely see a lot of people complaining that Bionewcle will be "dumbed down" simply because it doesn't have all the same kind of media as the original line did in its later days. I dunno. I've just been seeing a lot of people voicing that kind of concern, which to me seems pretty silly since we have no idea how long the new Bionicle will last, and regardless of how long that will be, expecting it to be like the old one right off the bat (or honestly, at any point) is mostly just setting themselves up to be disappointed....

I mean, to be honest, the main story was never complex. Six heroes up against most likely six villains (or six groups of hive villains) with a few larger sets playing some sort of secondary role, looking for some macguffin. That's basically it. The story had an illusion of depth and complexity because it was needlessly detailed. Every random side character had some role in a serial, every random word needed an explanation, every element needed detailed colour assignments, every secondary or even tertiary mystery needed a detailed, technical explanation, etc. There were a lot of characters with a lot of information not relevant to the main plot, and it complicated the main storyline, giving an illusion of complexity where there really wasn't. If the new line leaves that behind, I, for one, would be exceptionally glad.

 

Even I was getting tired of it. Especially how every random, inconsequential thing had to be explained or detailed. And don't get me started on Greg just accepting every other thing thrown at him as "canon" to the storyline, only adding further needlessly complexity.

 

A fresh new start is what the series needs. And it's what new fans will be able to get into - and yes, that is most definitely what LEGO needs more, not old fans clinging to it expecting their will to be enacted.

 

~|ET|~

[Hitoshura]

So I bet we'd all be excited(I guess) for the day we stop begging Greg for info.

Edited September 14, 2014 by Watcher on the Walls

[_Artakha_]

I personally liked the large ammount of details, although it did get excessive over time. I rather hope they can do that again only not to the point they allowed GregF to. Nothing against GregF of course, I think he got carried away as anyone given such freedom with a story he loves would. I'm just glad that I got the chance to enjoy the old and I look foward to the new Bionicle. Be it a continuation (unlikely though that is) or a soft, hard, somewhat fluffy, or semisolid reboot. Haha, I honestly don't understand the soft/hard terms for reboot. Anywho, BIONICLE IS BACK! YESSSSSSSSSSSS! (bet you can't tell I'm excited ) I hope the mask is the Mask of Creation, as my username indicates I am rather biased.

[Flex Lord Splash]

I would be insanely happy if they just make the Turaga of this 'reboot' or whatever the original Toa Mata training a new line of Toa or something, perhaps on SM thousands of years in the future. Oh and with a new villain.

[Lewa0111 Nuva]

*sigh* Another hilarious April Fool's prank from BZP again. Getting my hopes up for nothing...I'm onto you this time, mods!

 

Gali1000: Hey, Lewa?

 

What? I'm busy not falling for this prank!

 

Gali1000: *holds up calendar*

 

Wait, it's September? But that means...

 

*dies of excitement*

 

Gali1000: Not again! Now where did I put that spare Ignika...

 

Lewa0111 Nuva

Edited September 14, 2014 by Lewa0111 Nuva

[skratchR]

I agree on that the last years had too much detail. But more than detail, it was the unnecesary things. I never really liked the glatorians and the mata nui saga, and I cannot name any character outside of the ones that appeared as sets (or most of them). I think that the last two years were really boring in fact. I missed the days of 2001 where the story was as simple as six guys fighting animals, but with a map, matoran populations, etc. Basically, what we saw in MNOG would be enough for any year. If they had made a MNOG-style game for every year, BIONICLE would not have fallen into what it was in 2009-2010.

 

And the main interesting part of bionicle is the mystery, which was even helped by the songs (such as closer to the truth), the videogames and the movie, which left many things without explaining (impassable rock layer in MNOG). And that mystery all died in 2009, with 'oh, look in fact it is a big robot'. I personally think that 2010 was unnecesary (and i hated BIONICLE STARS with all my being).

[Takuta-Nui]

Well, that's intriguing. I haven't read all the comments here, but it definitely seems like this is a legitimate image of some kind. It might not be Bionicle - the name and the image could have been put together by some unknowing person (or one with malicious intent).

 

I think it would be fantastic to have Bionicle come back, but a little selfish part of me worries this will take a lot of attention away from the fanfics that have continued through the past few years. Either people will be too distracted with the new canon, or they will begin to perceive some fanfics as outdated and even not cool anymore. But I like to think our community is smarter and more respectful than that.

 

Guess we'll be on the edge of our seats once again for a while now!

[fishers64]

Well, that's intriguing. I haven't read all the comments here, but it definitely seems like this is a legitimate image of some kind. It might not be Bionicle - the name and the image could have been put together by some unknowing person (or one with malicious intent).

Er, that person would literally have to hack Lego.com itself to put this image in an obscure directory and hope that someone would stumble on to it.

 

That doesn't seem very likely to me. And if it was, Lego would have little to lose by blowing the trumpets and telling us that it was fake. So far they haven't.

 

I think it would be fantastic to have Bionicle come back, but a little selfish part of me worries this will take a lot of attention away from the fanfics that have continued through the past few years. Either people will be too distracted with the new canon, or they will begin to perceive some fanfics as outdated and even not cool anymore. But I like to think our community is smarter and more respectful than that.

Nah, I think we could use a few more fanfics in our library (looks out over empty rows of books). Besides, that's not how elitism on BZP typically works - it's the older members that will be respected for their literary brilliance while the new members post stories and get zero comments.

 

That's not cool either, but that's what generally happens unless measures are taken to prevent it.  

[toa kopaka4372]

I'm late for the party, but I saw the news when it was first reported. I'm overjoyed beyond belief, but my initial reaction to the news was to simply stare at the screen in silence. It was like I shut down due to lack of comprehension/disbelief. I can only imagine how I would have reacted had I been unaware of the evidence for the return beforehand.

 

Now, to go back to the endless debate of whether or not it should be a reboot or continuation...

[Nidhiki of the Shadows]

You know what I hope? We get individual character CG animations again by Ghost. I love those so much.

 

-NotS

[Tylerax Toa of Awesome]

Well, I wish my wallet was bigger now. I wish I had a checking account like Bruce Wayne or Tony Stark right now

[Xeo]

At first I was very much against a reboot.But after thinking it over to myself I really wouldn't mind. I mean, comics and movies get rebooted all the time. And sometimes the newer story far exceeds the original. Other times it does fall short. But it would be nice to return to Mata Nui. I loved that island. It was so mysterious. With how they portrayed it in the mini disks from the Toa Canisters to the comics and the MNOG, not to mention the site itself. I am really just happy it is back.

[ice8514]

good! the ending was so rushed and terrible, we need something way better for the story. Teridax better be back!

[Mr. Cup of Fail]

good! the ending was so rushed and terrible, we need something way better for the story. Teridax better be back!

Indeed but Teridax being back Nope Nope and Nope