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How can I catch up with the original Bionicle storyline (Mata Nui)


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Though time-consuming to tackle, all the novels can be read here if you want to go in-depth. (They're not each especially long, but there are many.) I also believe most if not all of the comics were condensed into graphic novels, which are probably super-cheap on Amazon, and would be a much quicker read for sure.  I suppose there are also the movies, but those cover less than half of the years G1 ran for, skip a lot, and don't always do a great job of explaining things, so your results may vary.

 

G1 will probably be a chore to catch up on, but each individual chunk is generally pretty approachable, so it's definitely doable.  I hope you enjoy it!

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It's awesome that you want to experience the original story! As fishers said, start out with the Mata Nui Online Game. It's available in two versions. If you create an account on the BioMedia Project here, you can play a version that saves to your account. Otherwise, here's a version of the game divided into chapters--think of it like scene selection on a DVD, where you can't save but you can start from predefined checkpoints.

Have fun!

 

Edit: Oh, one more thing: others might disagree with me on this, but I'd advise against jumping into wikis right away. One of the greatest appeals of the story was its mystery--I mean, robots on a tropical island, what's that about? Secrets were slowly revealed and the world became more fleshed out over time. Wikis are written as if everything has already happened in-story; they're a useful resource (and BIONICLEsector01, the main BIONICLE wiki, is exceptional compared to your run-of-the-mill fandom wiki), but reading wiki articles is not quite the same as experiencing the story the way LEGO told it.

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The novels and serials are a good place to start if you want to truly experience what people saw in the story; while the MNOG is also really great, it's a lot different from some of the later media, so if you're binge consuming everything in one go, the transition might be a little weird.

 

The original trilogy of movies is also on Netflix, so while they don't necessarily start right at the beginning, they do a good job of making it newcomer friendly; all three in a row certainly make sense.

 

I'd be remiss if I didn't plug BS01's Saga Guides, which are a dense but informative way of learning about everything chronologically; we also have the various fan stories that were accepted by the story team as part of the official canon, as well as the web serials released during the later part of BIONICLE's original lifespan.

 

It'll be hard to go in fresh and hope nobody spoils the twists, since they obviously add so much context, but honestly the movies would be my first go-to, since it's designed not to be too overwhelming.

 

Regardless, welcome to BZP, and welcome to the BIONICLE fandom! We don't bite... okay that's a lie we totally do, but we also really like it when people get truly excited about BIONICLE.

 

 

Though time-consuming to tackle, all the novels can be read here if you want to go in-depth.

I'm always amazed that hasn't been taken down; I guess Scholastic still hasn't figured out tumblr yet. Edited by Dorek
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I'd suggest MNOG too. If you can get your hands on them, the best way to experience the rest of the story is through the novels. Chronicles first, then Adventures, then Legends, and then the Super Chapter books.

 

The one method I would NOT recommend would be to read the comics first. Read the comics after you have read the books. The comics do not resolve a lot of the plot lines that the books take care of.

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Though time-consuming to tackle, all the novels can be read here if you want to go in-depth. (They're not each especially long, but there are many.) I also believe most if not all of the comics were condensed into graphic novels, which are probably super-cheap on Amazon, and would be a much quicker read for sure.  I suppose there are also the movies, but those cover less than half of the years G1 ran for, skip a lot, and don't always do a great job of explaining things, so your results may vary.

 

G1 will probably be a chore to catch up on, but each individual chunk is generally pretty approachable, so it's definitely doable.  I hope you enjoy it!

Hmmm....I wanna read these but is that like, illegal?

  :afro: :afro: :afro: 

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Though time-consuming to tackle, all the novels can be read here if you want to go in-depth. (They're not each especially long, but there are many.) I also believe most if not all of the comics were condensed into graphic novels, which are probably super-cheap on Amazon, and would be a much quicker read for sure.  I suppose there are also the movies, but those cover less than half of the years G1 ran for, skip a lot, and don't always do a great job of explaining things, so your results may vary.

 

G1 will probably be a chore to catch up on, but each individual chunk is generally pretty approachable, so it's definitely doable.  I hope you enjoy it!

Hmmm....I wanna read these but is that like, illegal?

 

 

Hey, Scholastic isn't making any money from them anymore, right? ;)

 

You can only get these books at obscene prices from eBay now.

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Guys, I think you're forgetting the very first piece of Bionicle media: Quest for the Toa!

It's a video game for the Game Boy Advance (so you can only play it if you have a GBA, or a Nintendo DS) that takes place immediately before Mata Nui Online Game. The gameplay itself is eh, but the story is good, and you get to step into Takua's shoes just a little more. I'm not sure if you can find a ROM anywhere, but here's a cheap listing on eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/LEGO-Bionicle-Nintendo-Game-Boy-Advance-2001-/271823943140?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3f49f835e4

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Hmmm....I wanna read these but is that like, illegal?

 

Well to my understanding all the comics up to Comic 15: Mata Nui Rising (Ignition era, 2008; Bionicle Battles for Power) can be quite legally copied &/or read legally, as (over)simply the 'licences' have 'run out', so whilst they are still TLG etc. property it's free for all non-commercial uses ie providing no one (else) makes money.

 

I believe the same can be said for all the books up to #2 The Legend Reborn (Bionicle Bara Magna, so after '08).

 

The vast majority of the games don't have anything new as far as the story goes; MNOG, MNOG 2, QftT are some of the more notable ones (as far as story goes), & even then a few of the others can be played for free entirely legally ;) 

 

So you're set for all the story up to and including 2008, books & comics; I'd suggest looking at Biosector01s' articles (or rather just the lists, don't want to spoilers[?]) on books & comics so you know you're reading them in a somewhat logical order ;) Although I would also suggest that you read the books before the comics!

 

After that I would suggest having an actual look at the wiki.

 

Enjoy! :)

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Well to my understanding all the comics up to Comic 15: Mata Nui Rising (Ignition era, 2008; Bionicle Battles for Power) can be quite legally copied &/or read legally, as (over)simply the 'licences' have 'run out', so whilst they are still TLG etc. property it's free for all non-commercial uses ie providing no one (else) makes money.

*phew* ok...good.

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  :afro: :afro: :afro: 

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Huh, I was going to link you to some stuff but everyone beat me to the punch! :) That's a lot of awesome material for you to experience. The original story was amazing and you won't be disappointed.

 

The order of what to read is a little jumbled though, with different story beats exclusive to a separate form of media. May I suggest this Ultimate Reading Order, so that you will be able to read the story start-to-finish in order with little-to-no confusion?

 

Enjoy the awesomeness of G1. :)

 

-NotS

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Basically, do what everyone else said, but please, please don't forget to play Quest for the Toa. It's literally the start of it all.

And right after that play MNOG 1, then watch the Bohrok animations, then play MNOG 2.

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A RUDE AWAKENING - A Bionicle G1 continuation and video-game project(MUSIC COMPOSER)  
special thx to Inary the Gunhaver for my new username. 

 

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When you get to the Toa Metru being turned into Hordika mutants, there was a game that takes place a little before that, that is called 'Maze of Shadows', also for GBA. It was based after a book of the same name, but I hear the game wasn't too in-depth; as someone who never got any of the Bionicle Adventure books, it did give me some story I otherwise would not have known about until years later when I discovered Biosector01.

 

Now I feel like looking for it.

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These may have all been mentioned already, but your best bet is to acquire the kid's novels (which are all relatively cheap), and then find the comics.  The comics were always available on the Lego Website for free, so searching for the PDFs online shouldn't be too hard.

 

But the best bet is to start with the Mata Nui Online Game.  There should be a website that has the game available for download.  It should give you a basic understanding about the first generation of Bionicle and why us old farts love it so much.

-Toa Halcyon

My Youtube Channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKCbfvb04maKzyU1VEi4BXQ Where you can find showcases and the occasional stop-motion video

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Really, though, I cannot stress enough how important it is to start with Quest for the Toa. Playing MNOG (Mata Nui Online Game) first is like watching Star Wars Episode V before episode IV. Also, don't read or view anything having to do with Metru Nui. That's the equivalent of watching Star Wars in this order: I, II, III, IV, V, VI. To experience Bionicle like it should, (Star Wars equivalent IV, V, VI, I, II, III) just play Quest for the Toa, then Mata Nui Online Game.

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When I first got into Bionicle they had an online flash game called MataNui online Game which was not fully complete yet but it did get me right into Bionicle and I'll never forget it! Please give it a play and you will see the world of Bionicle unfold before your very eyes!

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I've never played Quest for the Toa and I started Bionicle with the Metru Nui arc. No undue suffering has come my way as a result. 

 

Quest for the Toa is hard to find and play, from my understanding, whereas MNOG is widely accessible.

Not really hard to get. I just found and linked to a 99 cent copy of it. Also, here's a listing of a dirt-cheap Gameboy Advance: http://www.ebay.com/sch/Video-Game-Consoles-/139971/i.html?clk_rvr_id=809369081763&mfe=search&_sop=15&_nkw=gameboy+advance&_aindx=2682%3A0&_lbpos=0&_fscat=0&_fskw=gameboy+advance&rt=nc

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I've used an emulator to play QftT.  If you're tech-savvy it shouldn't be too hard to get one up and running.

That works too, if you're into that kinda thing.

 

 

I have a copy of QftT, but I've never finished it to this day. The collision system makes the game rage quit worthy, but that's just me.

Trust me, I've raged on that game way too many times; even more times than in the Okoto Online Game.

 

As for the purpose of this topic, I would start off with either MNOG or the comics. You could go with the books, but for the sake of time, the comics would help. Also, once you get to the 2007 story arc you can start reading the serials that were posted on Bioniclestory.com, which can now be found on other sites since the former is now inactive.

 

Start by going to Biomediaproject.com. It has everything you would need and more to get into Bionicle. The comics can be found under "Pictures", and you can either "stream" the comics (which means just viewing them online), or download the comics. I suggest downloading the comics, that way you can get to them at a moment's notice if need be. I even have all of them saved to my computer!

I hope this is helpful to you, and welcome to the Bionicle fandom!  :br:

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I've always felt that the story of Bionicle is best told in chronological order, but okay, I suppose release order's fine too.

Like I said earlier, experiencing it in chronological order is like watch Star Wars in this order: I, II, III, IV, V, VI. You just don't. Some things were left to be discovered by experiencing flashbacks after the time they take place.

 

On a side note, this is my 200th post! Yay me!

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I've always felt that the story of Bionicle is best told in chronological order, but okay, I suppose release order's fine too.

Like I said earlier, experiencing it in chronological order is like watch Star Wars in this order: I, II, III, IV, V, VI. You just don't. Some things were left to be discovered by experiencing flashbacks after the time they take place.

 

On a side note, this is my 200th post! Yay me!

 

That's a good analogy. OP make sure you experience the Mata Nui saga first, then Metru Nui. Basically try to go in set release order.

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A RUDE AWAKENING - A Bionicle G1 continuation and video-game project(MUSIC COMPOSER)  
special thx to Inary the Gunhaver for my new username. 

 

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