Latrodectus

The controls were pretty bad at release too. I think part of it is that isometric platforming never works well, since it's difficult to judge distance with the 3D-looking platforms. Then you add the horrible Volo Lutu Launcher and the platforming becomes even worse because you're judging varying distances instead of just the distance of your jump. Still, it's a pretty fun game.

The asymmetry is an interesting design choice. It gives Pohatu a ragged and wild look, especially when combined with the weird brown spiked armor that is reminiscent of animal hide.

Pohatu would be my first choice, just because dem hips. The other one could be any of the team members. Probably Kopaka or Tahu, since they have more different personalities from Pohatu and Gali than the other two. While that would make some sense, given how Lewa often is saved by Onua it could end up being interpreted as a sexist distressed damsel type trope if Lewa were female. If you're talking about the times Lewa got possessed by an infected mask and a krana, not really. The damsel in distress trope is bad because women in fiction tend to be the objects of conflicts between men. For example, in the typical Mario game Bowser kidnaps Peach and locks her in a castle. The conflict in-game is only between Bowser and Mario. Peach could easily be replaced by anything (say, Mario's wallet) and the story wouldn't change. She has no agency in what happens. The times where he is possessed, Lewa is most certainly part of the conflict. He is the opponent. In 2001, Lewa and Onua brawl, emphasizing the power of both fighters. When Onua finally frees Lewa, he wreaks karmic vengeance and saves the day by mind controlling the Nui-Kopen. In 2002, Lewa has the upper-hand in physical combat. Onua saves Lewa not through brute force, but by appealing to his character so that Lewa can pull the Krana off himself. That's the opposite of the damsel in distress trope, because Lewa has clear agency in saving himself. Believe me, I complain a lot about sexism in fiction and I think the damsel in distress trope is obnoxious whenever it appears. However, I would not see Lewa as a damsel in distress if he were female.

I was very curious about this, but when I found the image, it looks like you were probably misinterpreting, and that's the Protector of Fire: http://cache.lego.com/r/www/r/bionicle/-/media/franchises/bionicle%202014/build/pdf%20files/70790.pdf?l.r2=-1432340351 The mask is two-colored, same tones as his. All the other evidence so far indicates two-colored mask is Protector, one-colored is all villagers. He's only carrying one tool, but it's identical to PoF's. And he doesn't have that shoulder cannon, but it could easily be removeable (maybe out of ammo for example; maybe he went through a battle to get that close to the Skull Spider mask, which would make sense, and also explain the loss of one tool perhaps). You're probably right. There are some other weird artistic inconsistencies in the comic, like how The Lord of Skull Spiders lacks orange bits, so it might be based on an earlier design (Whereas the other comics are more accurate to the final sets).

I'm fond of spiders, and Latrodectus (aka the black widow) is a well-known genus.

Man, this year's sets really give some perspective to how bad the canister sets were getting in the later years of Bionicle. The 2008 sets were 13 bucks and the medium sets this year, for just two more, have more pieces, more accessories, actual gear functions, more complex builds, brighter colors, etc. I miss the canisters, but if ditching the extra plastic costs led to this increase in quality, it was worth it.

For what it's worth, the fire villager in the Lord of Skull Spiders instruction manual comic is a unique character, neither the little guy nor the Protector of Fire. However, the comic also implies that character became spider-chow.

Wow, that's some serious dedication. I love how crazy the electricity one looks with that spine and those staff ends.

The Island of Mata Nui was home to many kinds of animals. There were the impressive 2001 Rahi sets like the Muaka and the Tarakavas, but there were also other beasts like Mahi goats, Gukko birds, Takea sharks, Kofo-Jaga, Ussal crabs, and all manner of miscellaneous critters. So far, the only wildlife we've seen from Okoto in set form are the various Skull Spider breeds and the Lord of Skull Spiders. However, there are signs of other creatures; the website entry for the Region of Jungle mentions "savage wildlife" and the picture of the Water Tribe village has fish in it. What beasts do you expect or hope to see on Okoto?

It is the elemental mask of spiders. It gives the ability to control and create spiders.

After 15 years, Torch, Amazon, Scuba, Electro, Ski, and Granite have finally returned.

The Roboriders, though not odd in build, are some of the oddest in concept. The sets are riderless motorcyles with the primary function of launching their front wheel as a weapon. It gets better when you learn that in the story, the motorcycles are piloted by aliens contained inside the front wheel. Apparently not content with perpetual dizziness, the wheel pilots are using themselves as ammo.

Love this. You reimagined the Tarakava as actually looking like the slithery animal it was always described as, and it works. The picture of its knuckle-walking is my favorite; I can imagine the beast dragging itself along the shore like that. The jaws looks very nasty and messy like a deep sea fish.

They look great! I love the variety in body shapes they have, and the themed weapons (An anchor is genius for a Toa of Water).

Bethesda makes boring games, Obsidian makes broken games. I'd rather have another developer.

Thanks, I'll check out the Witch Doctor!

Makuta had purple parts in the animation; I wouldn't mind a Makuta with purple parts. Hopefully a 30 dollar set so that he can have some extra complexity and size over the Toa. Also hoping Makuta will not be a pure villain in this incarnation, since it would be a change of pace from the usual. Perhaps even have him as a hero redeeming himself after what happened with the Mask of Ultimate Power.

I haven't had enough experience with CCBS to vote, but they seem to have different purposes. I built a lot of Technic stuff back when Bionicle was big (And used a lot of Technic stuff for MOCing), so I really love Technic's versatility and focus on function. However, the CCBS stuff seems like the best evolution of the ball-and-socket system that started with Throwbots, offering far more versatility with ball joints for poseable figures than was offered before. Honestly, I want to combine both of them (though I'll probably have to buy some new Technic sets for that, since I gave most of my legos away when I left Bionicle). The new Bionicles are the best combination of poseability and function we've had in the history of the line, and it's thanks to the combination of CCBS and Technic.

As someone just getting back into Bionicle, I never bought any Hero Factory sets. Not because I didn't like them, mind you, but because 2008-2010 just turned me off of Bionicle and Lego in general and the 2011 Hero Factory sets looked like more of the same lame Agori-style build. Now that I'm getting back into Bionicle, I've noticed just how good a lot of the CCBS Hero Factory sets look, and I have no CCBS parts outside the Bionicles I purchased. I also gave away most of my pre-2015 Bionicle parts to kids since I wasn't using them after I left Bionicle. Do the veteran Hero Factory builders here have any suggestions for good sets to use for CCBS parts (and to build too)? I'd prefer sets that aren't predominantly silver, gunmetal, or grey, since I've had enough of those colors for one lifetime.

Spikels fan here. They're adorable and all three are unique and interesting. Also like the Glorps and Frosticons. Mixels in general are awesome.

I'm guessing the ocean is not endless this time; it makes for easy story expansion when you can have visitors from other islands or vice-versa.

MNOG was really an amazing piece of story-telling, so I think 2001 wins in the story department just for that. I'm liking 2015's story so far, but Okoto has nowhere near the detail of Mata Nui, and most of that detail was provided in MNOG. For sets, eh. Prices are higher, but there's more articulation. We don't have super-complicated Technic Rahi (LoSS aside), but the Protectors are definitely an upgrade over the Turaga. Honestly, they're both very good years and I'm really glad that 2015 is providing the creativity that Bionicle was missing in its later years.

I like the story animations. They're bright and colorful, and there are some good style moments (Like the part where the hunched-over Protector of Fire throws off his robe to reveal he's actually a buff guy with a cannon on his back). The only thing I'm worried about is that we might not see enough of them. The toa-specific ad animations are a bit too repetitive and over-the-top for me, and it's hilarious how one guy does all the voices (Including the most gruff and masculine Gali I've ever heard).

The Volo Lutu Launcher is one of the fiddliest, buggiest, and most difficult to control methods of movement in any video game I've ever played.

I'm not really concerned with how reproduction is performed; it can be anything from creating new Protectors in a factory to the birds and the bees. But it really makes the world more interesting when characters are actually able to have ancestors, descendants, family lines, etc. Things become more dynamic. It also gets rid of the need for weird plot devices like the Red Star to explain how the world can function.