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Danska: Shadow Master

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Blog Entries posted by Danska: Shadow Master

  2. Danska: Shadow Master
    It might be something of a mystery to people why I sit around making small, pixelised representations of bionicle sets. On the other hand it might not, I don't know. Nevertheless, for anyone who is curious, here's an explanation of a length that will only be determined once it is written.
     
    Perhaps I should start with how I got involved in kits. Some of you may have heard of the Mata-Nuian Builder. This was an emalgamation of various popular kits, drawing heavily from one in particular - the RZ Mega Kit. RZ (Rahi Zaku) was a genius with pixels, and is to my knowledge where the style originated. I can't remember why I started using the MNB or how I found it, but find it I did and once I started writing stories, many uses for it became apparant.
     
    See, the style isn't designed for making comics or games or any of the uses to which kits are commonly put these days. They are builders - designed to let you snap the pieces together digitally and create whatever your imagination can conjure up. This is particularly useful if you have an idea for a Toa who is coloured A and B, but the pieces you want only come in colours X and Y (I don't know why those four letters are always used for examples, but why break with tradition?). For a writer, this can be invaluable. I personally designed whole hosts of characters with the kit for epics and the like, not to mention many outside of stories simply out of personal interest.
     
    It was quite interesting, seeing the creativety that could be spawned from this. Eventually I started experimenting. Combining masks, editing tools; nothing major. This is where it started, I guess. Still, the idea of creating anything of the sort myself was...harrowing at best.
     
    When I came across the MNB I do not know, but one event always sticks in my memory: the release of the MNB 2004. Both RZ and Swert released their own 2004 kits, each with their own merits. I personally opted to use the MNB version, as it came with angled arms (the RZ ones were straight) and by then I was used to the background colour (it was a greenish-blue, darker than the one I use). As a downside, I don't recall Lhikan's mask ever being released in the MNB but I could be wrong.
     
    Anyway, yeah. Skipping over the nostalgia, let's get back to the point. I held these kit creators in very high regard, wondering how they ever managed to create such brilliant representations of the sets. It was possibly in 2004 I started creating a few things for myself - mostly masks, actually. I made an entire set of masks which were ok, I guess, and continued playing around with the odd tool.
     
    More epics meant more characters, and I was becoming steadily used to the ins and outs of the kits. Once you learn a bit how the style works, things start to fall into place more easily. I had a lot of practise using the kit, and was experimenting more and more.
     
    2005 was quite a big year for me, in terms of kit development. Why? Because I made my first kit. Or was it 2006? Whatever it was, it was related to 2005.
     
    Ok ok, I'll get to the point.
     
    There was to be no MNB 2005. A great shame, I must admit, but in a way that helped me because I decided to make it myself. I don't think I did too bad a job in some respects. Infact, a lot of the DBB 05 dates back to that point, albeit with a few minor alterations. The heads, tools and arms are mostly from then.
     
    As you can see, I was becoming further and further engrossed in the pixel world. It threatened to swallow me up like a great...pixelly...thing...and quite why I said that I do not know. Suffice to say I did say it. ANYWAY, I never released that kit as many parts were not my own and I felt little inclination to do so anyway. And do I use the word anyway too much?
     
    Anyway (yes I do), my confidence was growing. Perhaps my biggest breakthrough came when I attempted to create Sidorak and Keetongu. I succeeded, as it happens, but learnt then and there that what I was trying to do was no longer the same. I was starting to develop my own conventions and ideas and noticed that the scale of some pieces simply wasn't right for what I was doing. Yes, I was a pedant even then.
     
    The first thing I did that could really count as part of the DBB was to create my own Metru body. The ones in the MNB and RZ Mega Kit were created very, very quickly as the sets were just coming out (maybe before) so weren't as accurate as they might otherwise have been. A bad thing? Not really. They served their purpose, were recognisable and as I said, were released very quickly. I was certainly impressed, but when trying to create the Toa Hagah and realising that the Bohrok plate and the body didn't quite mesh, I went about making my own.
     
    Ok, last bit of history now! I started what eventually turned into the DBB in 2006 with, surprisingly, 2006 sets. Did you know that 2006 was infact the first kit I made? Or that I first made the Inika before they even appeared in stores? It does seem strange. Well, I think I was still recycling a few old pieces so I decided to go back to the start, 2001, and make everything myself. Completely from scratch. The results of this are fairly obvious.
     
    Ok, this is starting to degenerate into boring ramblings, and I still haven't really explained why I make kits, have I? Just how I got into it. Does that count as why? Maybe.
     
    So! Why do I make kits? I guess the only reason is that I enjoy it. The satisfaction I get from seeing a completed project is great, and it can provide an interesting challenge that I do manage to enjoy. It's always fun to see the latest set finished, particularly so when a large project like a Titan comes to fruition. There's always more I can think of to do, so I don't get bored or complacent with it easily.
     
    I'm particularly pleased I've come as far as I have. I honestly didn't think I'd be able to sustain it this long, and suspected it might fizzle out a little way in. I'm very glad I was wrong.
     
    Well, that's over! Tune in next time for something shorter and more interesting!
     
    ...hopefully.
  3. Danska: Shadow Master

    Takanuva Blog

    By Danska: Shadow Master,

    Random thought. The Takanuva Blog is updated every Monday and Thursday. We know this. We've known this for ages. And yet still, without fail, a topic turns up announcing it shortly followed by a news report as if it was completely unexpected.
     
    Given the regularity of the updates, surely it would only be news if it didn't update?
  4. Danska: Shadow Master
    Since 2006, I've noticed one thing that has stayed entirely consistent. The story has changed, the places have changed, but each time the inhabitants have been having a really rough time living there. Voya Nui was mostly barren, Mahri Nui really wasn't suitable for Matoran habitation and Karda Nui wasn't especially either, now we have a desert world that is also a difficult place to live.
     
    I would quite enjoy seeing a place where the inhabitants don't struggle to live out their every day lives, if only for the sake of variety. I mean, it's not even as if it's added anything to the story these past few years. We've had a bit at the beginning of the story where the Matoran are stated to have difficulties living (very little demonstration), then the story immediately switches to the main plot of the Toa and whatever quest they happen to be embarking on at the time.
     
    I don't want a story that focuses on all the little ins and outs of Matoran life. That could get dull very quickly. What I do wonder is whether these harsh environments are holding back certain details. Remember Mata Nui and Metru Nui, and the diversity in culture found there? Remember the Le-Koronan bands, the Kolhii matches, the aloof Ko Matoran in their towers and all the other little things we learnt about the hugely diverse, varied and detailed cultures of the Matoran?
     
    I've said it before, it's these details that can really make a story gripping. When the heroes are fighting for the lives of a group of Matoran, it helps if you can connect to those Matoran and have some reason to care about them. This was true on Mata Nui, to a lesser extent on Metru Nui then not at all after that because we knew so little about them. We had next to no knowledge or information about their lives, culture or society, we knew a tiny pocketful of inhabitants whose only purpose involved playing bit roles in the main plot, and beyond that only the faceless masses of unknowns. What incentive is there to care about these people?
     
    When Ta Koro was destroyed, I felt that. I had come to know the village and its inhabitants, and it was terrible to see it gone - to see so many homes, the source of such diversity and culture, sink beneath the lava. By knowing the village and its people I could connect to it and care. When Mahri Nui was destroyed, when the Av-Matoran were forced to abandon their homes in Karda Nui, did I care? Did I feel it mattered? No, not especially. Those Matoran may as well not have existed for all the difference they made.
     
    Some people will live in harsh environments, it's true, and struggle to live out each day, but in Bionicle it's not new any more. It's been done. Something else please?
  5. Danska: Shadow Master
    Now I'm not a big film goer, but nevertheless, something has come to my attention recently.
     
    There seems to be two rapidly growing trends among the film industry.
    First, we have the 'remake' trend where old films are re-adapted, updated and made into new (and generally worse) films.
    The second trend are the book adaptions, and there are hundreds! Harry Potter, Minority Report, The Bourne films, Lord of the Rings, I Am Legend, I Robot, The Chronicles of Narnia...everything's based on a book!!!
     
    So amongst all this, what do we have left? Certainly nothing I want to watch! Every big blockbuster seems to fall into one of the two trends, particularly the latter. I am honestly wondering if anyone making films has half a brain in their head, or even the scarcest trace of imagination. Is originality really so hard to come by these days?
     
    What would happen to the film industry if book adaptions were suddenly not allowed? Would they be able to release even a single film that is above mediocre standard? I'd be interested to find out. Not that this will ever happen.
     
    Now I'm not saying all good films are either book adaptions or remakes, but the vast majority seem to be. I could, of course, be completely wrong, and I'd be quite glad if I was. But has anyone else noticed these increasing trends, or am I seeing patterns that aren't there? I'd be interested to know what other people think.
     
    Now, I'm off to find a good book to read so that I'm prepared for the inevitable movie adaption in a few years time.
  6. Danska: Shadow Master
    Ok. I'm not about to launch into a full-scale introduction to philosophy. That would take far too long and most likely bore you all to tears. Instead I'm going to have a go at writing about contemporary morality - a fraction of philosophy - and what I think of it.
     
    Before I start, I wish to make one thing clear: this is all opinion! I could be wrong, I could be right, I could be a giant octopus living off the coast of what I believe to be Turkey (but that's a lesson for another time ). These are just some ideas that have been floating around in my mind, and now they're floating around in a blog. Make of them what you wish.
     
    Morality is interpreted differently all across the world, and all across time. Take two nations, two ages or simply two communities and I doubt they will agree on what is right and wrong. Infact no, take two individuals and you'll find differences in belief. Why? Is killing not wrong? Do not all people agree that you should not steal, that emnity and hatred and wrong while compassion and kindness good?
     
    The short answer is no, they do not. But of course, anyone with an inquisitive mind will find such an answer highly unsatisfactory as it explains absolutely nothing. why is there disagreement? Why are some things right and others wrong? Why does it even matter?
     
    It is questions like this that make philosophy what it is. First, I am going to explore the question of "what is morality?"
     
    So then, what is it? The difference between right and wrong? Certainly. But what does that mean?
     
    For me, morality exists on two levels. There is social morality and individual morality. It's not hard to grasp the difference between them. Social morality is the prevailant morality present in a society or culture, that dictates how a person may act within the society and provides the ground rules of right and wrong. Mostly, this is what constitutes as law. Certainly law is, to my knowledge, bound by morality and often works to safeguard something to prevent wrongs from occuring. I don't know much about law, though. Some aspects may not be incorperated by law but simply accepted. I don't think it can be denied that some sort of morality does exist on a social scale, however.
     
    Now this exists in every society. Circumstances in each of these places are different, the environment is different and the people are different. This means different ideas about morality will emerge. For example, the prevailant belief in much of the western world is that freedom and democracy are paramount. Certainly this seems to be the case, and I'm sure most people in such societies could argue that other forms of government tend to do more harm than good. But is that always true? Democracy works well for us, but that doesn't mean it will work for everyone does it?
     
    This is getting a bit political, so I'm going to stop that train of thought there. Look out for the word relativity though. That should cue some sort of explanation to why I said what I did.
     
    So, social morality exists to ensure society runs smoothly. It protects individuals and the whole, providing ways in which people can live without causing harm to each other (or to protect social values). It is designed to be universally accepted and adhered to, because to do otherwise would cause effects for individuals or society that are deemed to be wrong. This, at least, is my understanding of it. Social morality is a necessity if people wish to live together.
     
    So what of personal morality? Well, this is likely to be shaped by the prevailant social morality of the time. This does not mean it will be identical to what is in place socially, and disagreements do happen, but there will almost certainly be influences (whether obvious or not). Personal morality is what you yourself feel to be right or wrong. This can be guided by society, by friends, by religion or any manner of other things. It is predominantly yours, and it is unlikely anyone else will share exactly the same beliefs as you.
     
    Now, which is more important? Social or personal morality? Various figures have argued for both, although whichever they advocate they tend to speak of it as if it were morality as a whole. Utilitarianism, which says what is important is the "greatest happiness for the greatest number", very definitely deals with things on a social scale. Immanuel Kant on the other hand talks more about individuals, using his "Catagorical Imperative" as the guiding force behind our actions.
     
    I would say both are very important. Social morality is needed in order to maintain some coherance and stability within society, but if we lose the notion of personal morality or personal beliefs we become little more than drones without individual concepts, ideas or indeed much individuality. I would say it is imperative that people do not break the social "code of conduct" and ensure their actions stay within the boundries of what is or is not allowed, for if people as a whole were to act otherwise the stability of society would shatter. But then, personal morality and thoughts are also vital because without it, we are not individuals.
     
    But what if your personal morality conflicts with social morality? As appears so often in philosophical writings, this shall be furnished with an analogy. Let us assume you live in a society where, for some reason or another, it is considered to be highly immoral to go outside on sundays, perhaps for religious reasons (note: this is purely hypothetical. I'm not inserting any existing religion or society here). Now you think this is a pretty silly idea, perhaps not sharing the same belief system as other members of the community. You really want to go outside on a particular sunday, may even have a brilliant reason for wanting to, but doing so would lose you considerable respect with almost everyone you know and some would even find this act insulting. Do you go outside as you wish, or stay inside as society expects?
     
    Using the same analogy, let us say this act is actually illegal. Would this change your actions?
     
    Differences in personal or social beliefs occur all the time. I'm now talking about two societies or two people who disagree. In terms of personal disagreements - this happens all the time in everyday life. Usually, its very trivial and easily solved. But what on earth do you do when you and someone else have highly polarised views about something important? Who's right? What do you do?
     
    When this happens on a social level, things are even worse. Different societies often have very different ideas about morality, and sadly this often leads to conflict. So often, societies or people will be convinced they're right and so, of course, the other party simply must be wrong. Why?
     
    It all comes down to relativity. It is perfectly possible that certain morals and ideas work perfectly well for a certain society. The western world values democracy, most places regard the death penalty as wrong and corporal punishment equally so. This works. But what happens when countries are found which do not find these ideas to be wrong? Of course, most people would say
     
    "but it's so cruel! They can't be right!"
     
    Well yes, I agree. That's true in our society. But in the other society, it does work. I know, there are hundreds of reasons why we're right, why they're wrong and so on and so on...but I've no doubt many reasons could be found on the other side, too.
     
    That was a somewhat extreme example, I admit. I'm not advocating either course of action through it, merely trying to suggest that neither can be considered definitely right or definitely wrong, whatever your personal views on it. This I would say is true for most differences - both right under the right circumstances and in their respective places. Elsewhere, it's another story.
     
    Social context, I think, is very important to morality. It is perhaps best to act in accordance with the principles laid down by society, however in the eventuality that a person passionately disagrees with these principles, it is up to them whether they choose to act with or against these. If they can't decide on the act, then the consequences may be taken into account regarding both the individual and the influence their action has elsewhere. What will their action mean to others, and what will the consequences for them be?
     
    I say society takes preference because otherwise, actions may cause social disquiet or even harm in more extreme cases. This is not to say people should not act on their own consciences, but that they should consider what the consequences of their actions will be.
     
    Now, why should we be moral? I've attempted to answer the what and how questions, but not really the why. The way I see it, we are social creatures. It is therefore important that we are able to live together. This means there must be some set of rules by which this is made possible without causing undue harm to each other (for no life is more important than another - or is it? My own arguments could be used against me. I'll let you think on that yourselves). Because we are all individuals, morals shall of course be interpreted and so differences of opinion shall arise. This gives us the freedom to guide ourselves in life, because we cannot always check everything with the rules of society before we act (if we did, 9/10ths of our lives would be wasted checking rules or laws). John Stuart Mill (a Utilitarian and liberalist) certainly understood that these differences drove change, and that without them society would stagnate. I tend to agree with his view, and so it seems important to me that differences are respected and tolerated and, if possible, understood.
     
    In conclusion, I would say that difference in inevitable. It is ridiculous to try and bring everyone under a single banner, because there will always be discontent and disagreement, however noble and seemingly perfect that banner is. The most we can do is accept that other moralities, cultures and so on exist side by side with our own cultures, and that we have no more right to impose our beliefs on them than they do on us. It is only in the event that one side threatens the other's way of life that action against them can be legitimately taken.
     
     
    Right! This has to be my longest blog entry ever (which is saying something). All of what I've said is purely my opinion, and I am not claiming to hold any absolute truth here (indeed, I do not believe there is one). If you passionately disagree, that's fine! Infact, that's excellent! You've at least as much chance of being right as I have, after all.
     
    I find it a bit worrying that I almost started prescribing ways of thinking or acting near the end, when I find myself disliking philosophers who do that. Hmm, yes. Annoying. All of this was also written without any forethought as to what I was going to write, so it may be a bit garbled.
     
    I should also note that it touches on a few sensitive subjects. My intention is not to insult anyone, and if I have done so unknowingly I do apologise.
     
    Finally, I will say that I'm only 17 and haven't even finished my Philosophy A level yet. I'll let you work out the implications of that.
     
    Oh yes, and congratulations on getting this far!
  7. Danska: Shadow Master
    I have Glatorian! Finally! I am now in possession of Malum, Strakk, Tarix and Gresh. I like them a lot! I was so, so pleased to see real elemental colour schemes make a return. Each one looks like they belong in their respective environment even more than the original Toa Mata did! In fact, each one looks like a creature you would find in a lava cave or an icy wilderness and so on. Let me go through and explain why.
     
    Malum
    You know what I think of when I look at Malum? I think of a huge, fearsome creature rising from lava. He is the personification in my eyes of all those huge brutish monsters you find in fantasy stories lurking around volcanic areas. Everything about him conveys a sense of immensity and power, and miniature flames adorn his head. The claws really complete it for me. Those huge, terrible claws. Can you not just see one bursting forth from a river of lava, grasping onto the side and hauling the rest of his terrifying bulk up out of the river? They're absolutely perfect!
     
    I just love the brutish menace that surrounds this guy. He has a wonderful colour scheme combining deep red with a fiery orange, vibrant yellow and a surprisingly fitting grey. I find myself fully able to believe him to be an outcast, for he looks the part completely.
     
    Strakk
    This guy strongly reminds me of the ice creatures seen in the background of the old Ice Slizer. He's another fearsome looking being, though not in the same way as Malum. Strakk represents menace. Everything about him screams it. The bent body, the huge ice spikes, that terrifying grin and oh that axe! He looks like the sort of creature who would lie in wait for his prey, then detach himself slowly from the side of a glacier and slowly stalk them. I'm so glad he has blue eyes, too! Green or orange simply would not have worked for this guy.
     
    I didn't like how the shoulder armour was attached at first, but it's grown on me. It didn't look right sideways (not that I could get it to fit), so on the front it must stay. It does work with his mask. It works very, very well. It's just a pity they couldn't come up with something for his very plain legs.
     
    Tarix
    Unlike the others, Tarix does not look menacing or evil at all. Tarix looks warrior-like, certainly, but welcomingly so (if there is such a thing). He looks like a being you'd find lurking in the ocean depths, one of a small cluster of survivors from an ancient yet rich civilisation. A fearsome presence but a reasonable one, and willing to aid those in need. The gold adds a lot to Tarix's demeanour. It gives him a truly regal appearance, and the Mata blue (which some think looks out of place) I find to be necessary to avoid excessive dullness by joining three dark blue limb pieces together.
     
    I really, really like Tarix. It probably is the gold, but there's something about him that truly captures my imagination. The weapons are very nice, too. They look fluid and elegant, which in many ways is what Tarix represents.
     
    Gresh
    Gresh has the look of a hunter about him. His appearance suggests that he is a member of a forgotten jungle tribe - an important member at that - who are masters at hunting and sneaking about the jungle unseen. A master of ambush but willing to communicate with those captured. That is what Gresh says to me. He is one of my favourite Glatorian. The lime, green and black combination has been pulled off beautifully adding vibrancy and contrast to the set. I adore his helmet too, which I prefer to think of as his actual head, and those blades...simply beautiful! I like how the claws were used, too. Spikes seem to be the in thing for this year's sets.
     
    He has a very lean appearance, which suits him well. The way his blades can be used as either dual-wielded blades or a shield I think is wonderful, and both look good. I can find very little to complain about with this guy.
     
     
    I'm realising that I shall have to start writing a story that incorporates all these ideas. The Agori will be the heroes of the tale, representing your common band of adventurers, and the Glatorian can be the various creatures and beings encountered on their quest. I'm really looking forward to this!
     
    Well, that's my rather unusual take on the Glatorian over. Let's see where this goes!
  8. Danska: Shadow Master

    New Newva

    By Danska: Shadow Master,

    I've finally completed a project I've been working on for months. No, not because it was a lot of work or difficult or anything of the sort, but because I simply didn't have the pieces available. Two days ago, I ordered the final pieces I needed. Today they arrived. I was quite impressed with that, to be honest. Two days is very fast indeed.
     
    What I wanted to do, rather than complain constantly about how the Newva aren't right and so on, was to redesign them slightly and fix the parts I didn't like. I'm not talking rebuilding them entirely, just tweaking them here and there. So, here they are!
     

     
    Yeah, I threw Takanuva in as well because I felt like making a Toa-sized version of him. I still love the 2008 set (considerably more than my Toa version, I might add), but he does throw things off a bit in group photos.
     
    I'm not going to go into detail about each set now. I'll probably make a topic in the BBC forum at some point. I will, however, explain the blanket changes I made.
     
    First off, the projectile weapons had to go. They're fun, certainly, but I think the sets look better without them. Besides, does the most powerful Toa team in the universe REALLY need them?
     
    Secondly, I replaced all the red and blue pins with black ones. I also, where I felt it was appropriate, replaced the light grey axle rods with black ones too. It's only a minor thing, but I think they look much better for it.
     
    Thirdly, I removed the Matoran connector/Inika shoulder armour thingy from the sets' backs. I really love the function, but it looks so silly otherwise!
     
    That's it. All the other changes were made specifically for each set. I hope you like!
  9. Danska: Shadow Master

    Mistika!

    By Danska: Shadow Master,

    Aaaahh yes, the Mistika. Anyone on here noticed them?
     
    More to the point, anyone on here missed them? It is quite hard.
     
    So, yes. what do I think? Am I another part of the 'omg they're so terrible!' crowd? Do I despise them in every way? Can I possibly suggest what they could have done better?
     
    Yes, no and maybe, respectively, but my reasons for disliking them are not purely grounded in the sets themselves.
     
    I'm speaking solely about the so-called Nuva here rather than the Makuta. I might discuss them a bit.
     
    When I heard the Nuva were being re-released, I was thrilled! They're the original heroes with whom I began my interest in Bionicle. To me, they are the quintessential Toa. They are noble, strong, powerful and each one represents entirely their given element through their personality. For all their faults, which they have largely overcome, they are in every sense of the word heroes.
     
    Through my kits, I can easily create versions of the Nuva with updated poseability that strongly retain a semblence to their original forms using only existing parts. I could even add flight or swamp related features if I had to! It's not hard! What's more, I can make every single one different! No clones! Infact, not one of them need have the same armour type, feet or limbs! So WHY is this so impossible for Lego!? Only a couple of the Nuva, Phantoka or Mistika, bear even a passing resemblance to their original forms and their masks do not, in any way, look like the originals (excepting Kopaka, thanks solely to a single misplaced scope).
     
    Why, exactly, do both Tahu and Gali have more silver parts than their own colour? Have primary colours been dropped now? Are we to be treated from now on to silver and grey Toa with small splodges of colour? And why does Onua have red pieces!? Where did Lego's obsession come from for throwing in colour-scheme destroying pieces!?
     
    As sets themselves, if you look past the blatant series cloneism, they're fine. Decent build, interesting...oh no, wait, only one of them has a weapon. The masks...well, two look like helmets and the other like it came out the wrong side of a molten protodermis vat. After the Phantoka masks, which were truly excellent, I'm seriously dissapointed.
     
    But as sets, they're really not all that bad. The big problem, the huge, towering obstacle is that somehow, incomprehensibly, these sets are supposed to be the Nuva! THAT is why I dislike them! I cannot see anything of the original heroes in there - nothing at all!
     
    Take Tahu. One of the things that made him was the expression on his mask, and that huge hole around the mouth. Is any of that in his new mask? Nope! All gone! Why bother with something as trivial as continuity?
     
    As for Gali...man, that spiked armour on her shoulders makes her look so feminine! You can just tell from the mask, too, that she's female!
     
    Or am I perhaps being incredibly sarcastic?
     
    There! That's some of my anger vented. If the pretence of the Mistika being the Nuva was dropped, I would be thrilled with the sets. As it is...I think I've made my views clear.
  10. Danska: Shadow Master
    So, it's official. Knights of the Old Republic III, or The Old Republic as it's called, is going to be a MMORPG.
     
    I'm not entirely sure what to think of this. For me, KotOR has been a decidedly single player experience. I am the person tied up in the plot single-handedly saving the galaxy with lightsaber and force powers. It is me, or that character, upon which the entire fate of the galaxy rests. I am the centre of an epic, twisting plot with everything hanging in the balance. I matter.
     
    In an MMO, I am one of thousands. That feeling of importance is completely gone. It is impossible for me to be that influential, because the influence must be shared amongst thousands and thousands of people cannot all be the epic hero of the age. How, then, can my role in the game ever hope to compare to what it was in the previous two games?
     
    The plot was absolutely key to both games. It drew you in, slowly but surely, then right when you least expected it threw a massive bombshell at you which completely wiped clean your previous notions of the game, the characters and your entire purpose. It twisted and turned in many different ways, and was so, so in depth. Dozens of NPC characters prodded and poked at your history, the world's history, your party member's history and levered you into positions of influence and power not just to the major organisations, but of little people. On many occasions you have the power to make or break a person's life and it's these little things as well as the world-shattering events that made the games what they were. I shall never forget the first game where I had to conduct a murder investigation on behalf of a friend of one of my companions and not only gather the evidence, but actually act as the lawyer for the person.
     
    I honestly don't see how they can implement everything into an MMO. Perhaps the micro-level elements, but the macro? How do you do that? The entire purpose of a single player game, ignoring side-quests, is to complete it. To reach the end, to kill the bad guy and restore peace (or your own reign of terror). The moment that happens in an MMO, the MMO is over and that can never happen. How can you possibly have a substantial plot for a game that can never end? Where can a plot go, except to wind itself further and further into loops and circles and whatever else? How can any plot work for thousands of players, and how can players who join later in the game's life hope to understand what is going on?
     
    I am really apprehensive about this move. I imagine I'll get the game and play it to see what it's like, and who knows? Maybe I'll like it. It is being made by Bioware, after all, who are the only people who should be allowed near such a project with a twenty foot vibroblade. Perhaps there is hope after all - certainly there is from their announcements, but what else would they say? Any official announcement exists solely to make the game sound good, to encourage hype and eventually to get as many people as possible to buy the game.
     
    Time will tell.
  11. Danska: Shadow Master
    Wonderful. One of the Universities I've applied for, the one I'm most interested in as it happens, has just asked me to send copies of my A Level certificates to them. This is fine, except for one tiny flaw: I don't -have- my A level certificates. They haven't been given to me yet.
     
    They need to have them by November 18th, which gives me two weeks to get them (somehow).
     
    Stupid, stupid world...
  12. Danska: Shadow Master
    Note: I haven't read this through at all and I wrote it quite late at night, so god knows what it says.
     
     
    The mildly cryptic title for once hides within it the subject of this blog entry, namely the accusation so often made against video games of them causing violence. Being a game player myself and knowing others who have borderline addictions to video games, this idea seems absolutely preposterous.
     
    Now people have levelled exactly the same accusations at TV and movies, yet particular scorn seems to be saved for the video game industry. What’s more, the level of violence (amongst other things) tends to be far, far greater in films and TV that it ever is in games. So why is it so much worse in games?
     
    Perhaps because the people accusing the games do not play games themselves, but do watch TV and films? Perhaps they are unable to bear the thought that something they are interested in could possibly share any sort of blame.
     
    Alright, that may be a bit unfair and is indeed an ad hominim fallacy – attacking the person instead of their arguments, and so by attempting to dismiss what they say as a result. Therefore I find myself unable to support my own argument, as in my opinion anything said by anyone can be valid in a debate, regardless of their own opinions or practises.
     
    You can tell I don’t think these blog entries out in advance, can’t you?
     
    Now then. One thing games have that other media does not is interaction. We watch people attack and hurt others on TV or in the Cinema, but in games we perform those acts ourselves. The difference in quite prominent. To the player, it is them pumping five tons of lead into the enemy, not just digitised image on a screen. The argument for why this is bad would seem to be as follows: by shooting five tons of lead into someone, this action no longer seems questionable as the person has gotten away with it just fine in the game. What’s more, they have enjoyed it. Obviously shooting five tons of lead into someone must therefore be an enjoyable experience, and so the person is more likely to perform such actions in real life.
     
    WRONG!
     
    For all it may seem like it’s the player shooting five tons of lead into someone, it is just a graphical representation of a person on a screen and the player knows it. What they are doing is not shooting people, but pressing buttons on a controller. Furthermore, while the shooting may be enjoyable, it is not the only focus of the game. Often there are objectives to fulfil, and the shooting has a purpose. Even in Deathmatches the object is not to shoot people, but to win – to achieve a certain number of points. The shooting is the means to achieving this, not the end in itself. Very important is the storyline. Most games have some sort of storyline, and if they don’t and the entire thing is the person running round shooting things on their own for no reason then there’s something wrong. It is the whole experience of the game and not just the element of shooting (or whatever it might be) that is enjoyable.
     
    Now there are two ways you can play a game. The first is to play on your own. This generally consists of following a game’s storyline or playing through specific scenarios for personal enjoyment. Either way, the virtual environments have their own rules and objectives.
     
    The second way is to play with other people. This may be done through one system, via a LAN or as is becoming far more common these days, online. Whatever people may say, this is social interaction. These are people interacting with each other through a video game because of the different experience it gives. Now as far as I know, shooting someone in a game is not going to make a person think that they should shoot them in real life. Multiplayer games often reinforce such values as friendship and teamwork. Is that such a bad thing?
     
    Now it is true that, in a few isolated cases, people have been driven by things seen in a video game to perform similar acts in real life. Until the video game can be shown to have a similar effect on large numbers of people, I don’t see the problem. What I see is a person who has a problem telling the difference between fantasy and reality. Where now does the problem lie?
     
    I would like to suggest that games in fact do quite the opposite to inducing violence. Everyone gets angry or annoyed or frustrated. In these situations, I’m sure a great many people feel driven to commit acts of violence be it against a person, specific or otherwise, or just a desire to destroy. Giving in to such urges is naturally a bad thing. Well, it’s socially accepted as being so. I’m not going to go into the precise ethical issues surrounding it (although I would like to). Fortunately, most people do not go around hitting things whenever they get angry. They either find an alternative way to vent their frustration or they wait and let themselves cool off. I would like to present games as an alternative way. When you’re angry, what could be better than running around with a machine gun shooting the living daylights out of anything that moves? How is that not good stress relief? Is it going to make you want to go out and do it in real life or will it in fact sate your desire for mindless carnage and leave you feeling calmer and content? In my experience, always the latter.
     
    So, video games lead to violence do they? Even though it is not the violence in and of itself that makes people play the game? Even though there is a distinguishable difference between these video games and the real world? Even though video games often promote positive values and can be used as an outlet for pent up anger and stress? For the life of me I do not see how.
  13. Danska: Shadow Master
    It's now widely known that the general reaction of BZP to pictures of new sets tends to be negative, to put it very mildly indeed. And yet here comes 2009, and people...like the sets? What is going on!?
     
    Does this mean people will start hating the sets when they get their hands on them?
  14. Danska: Shadow Master
    Now I don't know about you (or even who you are, but man you're ugly!), but I've had a problem with all the Newva since the first time I saw pics of the Phantoka. Don't get me wrong, I like the sets, but I really don't like how little resemblance they have to their original forms.
     
    I'm starting to see just how little sense that view makes. I recently named the Toa Metru as my favourite group of Toa, with the Toa Inika coming in third. Yet both these groups of sets are guilty of exactly the same 'crime' the Newva are, the Metru most of all. Who can honestly say the Metru have any resemblance to their Turaga forms? How much do the Inika represent the Matoran they once were on Mata Nui? Any resemblances tend to be forced upon them because people want to find them. I would guess these similarities are purely coincidental. Remember that sets come before story. Chances are, the sets were made before anyone gave them their story identities, in which case how can they bear similarities to their 'former appearances' when the set designers had no idea they were designing those characters?
     
    There was a small smattering of discontent about the Metru's dissimilarity, and a slightly larger one for the Inika, but nothing on the scale of what's hit the Newva. Why? We've known all those characters from 2001, yet it's only the Nuva people make a huge fuss about. I admit I did as well, but thinking about it a bit more logically the view seems to make little sense unless I also have a problem with the other sets.
     
    I mean, even the Mahri bore little real resemblance to their Inika forms. Every single one of them had a different colour scheme, which seems to be one of the primary considerations when searching for a resemblance. To be honest, I can understand it in this instance, given that the set style was more or less the same. It would be hard to create sets in the same style resembling each other without being too similar.
     
    Now in terms of storyline, the Nuva's appearance is the most understandable. Both the Metru and the Inika had their forms changed, essentially shrinking from Toa size to Turaga size and Matoran size to Toa size, respectively. The Nuva on the other hand received completely new armour, masks and weapons and it's the armour that dictates their appearance. Of course they'd look different! Physically, at least for the most part, they are not the same Toa, so why would they look the same?
     
    I'd also like to add that the Nuva's 'transformation' is my favourite one to date. Why? Because technically, it isn't a transformation. They've been re-outfitted with new equipment which for a few years has seemed to me an obvious way to release the same Toa without transforming them and is far simpler than coming up with yet another mutagenic substance conveniently placed for the Toa to fall into or whatever they do to get themselves effected by it.
     
    I could start rambling about half a dozen different ideas right now as an offshoot of my main point, but I'm not going to. I'm going to stop. To summarise my main point: don't eat fish.
     
    And would whatever spell checker that has latched itself onto Firefox please stop giving me the American spellings of words? I am British, not American!
  15. Danska: Shadow Master
    At last! I have me a laptop! And a good laptop it is. As I type I am installing a game, playing music, running MSN, Mozilla Thunderbird, Open Office Writer and about 3 other tabs in Firefox all without any lag whatsoever. On my old PC, simply viewing the desktop was liable to send it into a fit of lagging while installing a game. Am I happy? Yes I am!
     
    I spent most of yesterday (once it arrived) copying files and installing programs. It took me well over an hour to transfer all my music to my external hard drive from my old PC. To get it onto my laptop - I dunno. Five minutes? Now THAT is impressive! In fact I think I managed to transfer four times as much in less time.
     
    Setting up my email was difficult. First I had to work out how to do it (I'm not talking about web-based email here), and then the SMTP address given (the one needed to send emails) seemed to be wrong. I also had to find a way to transfer my old emails to this machine. Thankfully I succeeded in these ventures, though it took me many hours.
     
    I am now going through and installing all my games. The mere fact that I should be able to complete that task in a day is a testament to my laptop's awesomeness - or perhaps the uselessness of my old machine. Far as I'm concerned it's both.
     
    To further confirm my desktop's inferiority to all but the most basic and simple of units, it is now dead. It always had problems, but it now blue screens whenever I start it up. I don't think I'll miss it.
     
    Perhaps the thing I'm most excited about is this machine's gaming potential. On my old machine, nearly any game made in the last three years would struggle to work and any game in the last five would take an hour to load. Though I haven't tested any games yet (I'm still installing them), I would imagine my laptop can do a lot better. If it takes me less time to load a Dawn of War match than to play it, I'll be happy.
     
    Now to go and run around happily until I collapse in a heap from exhaustion, giggling like a lunatic.
  16. Danska: Shadow Master
    I'm bored, so I've decided to post an entry listing my Toa in favourite to least favourite order with my reasons why. No, not my reasons why I posted this. Don't be silly now. My reasons why I like them.
     
    1. Toa Metru - These guys totally redefined Toa sets. They were the first Toa not to use the Mata bodies, they introduced a whole host of new colours including bley, they had bendable limbs and almost every piece was new and has been re-used countless times in future sets. That's not why I like them though. The reasons I like them are many. From a purely aesthetic point of view, they look brilliant. The dark colours/bley combination was pulled off really well, the powerful, angled shoulders looked fantastic and their proportions are the best yet in Toa sets. Their masks were interesting but not over-detailed like some and the range of tools was fantastic. Giving Vakama a disk launcher was a nice touch, even if it didn't fire well.
     
    The playability options was fantastic! Not only did they have more poseability than any set before, they still had gears and a whole host of tool functions that only added to their role-playing potential. I will never get tired of playing with these guys. They are the perfect midway between Mata Nuian gear blockishness and Ignika era feature-free poseability. I don't dislike either, but the Metru show that they CAN be combined.
     
    They weren't quite clones, but they also weren't different enough to not be. In this aspect they lose marks, but given anything else it hardly matters to me. They were already composed almost completely of new pieces and had pretty much everything else going for them. They also looked like they fitted into the city environment of Metru Nui perfectly. Points there, I think.
     
    2. Toa Mata - Yes, I'm an old fan, so I'm bound to have a preference for the original sets. The Mata were what brought Bionicle to me, and so I'll always like them. That said, they do have a number of things going for them. In terms of appearance, I really think they hit the nail on the head. Remember that Toa are powerful heroes who harness the power of the elements themselves - forces of nature. These Toa looked the part so much. They really seemed like avatars of their elements. Add to that the masks - so simple, so elegant - and the differences between them - I do like their appearance. The big gear on their back does look odd, as do the rest of the gears (odd that no one complains at this blatant intrusion into the colour scheme yet they seem outraged at blue pins), but given the level of playability they add I'm prepared to forgive them for it.
     
    Yes, that is what I really love about the Mata. They are the perfect size to hold in your hand and bash something with the gear function. Latter sets - Metru included - are too big for this, and although the gear on the back is huge I personally feel the size necessary. It's much easier to use than the puny Metru gear. What's more, there were three distinct functions here: Kopaka, Lewa and Tahu's sword/axe slash, Gali/Onua's claw scrabble and Pohatu's kick. This added variety is something that really attracts me to these sets of old, although I feel the Nuva did it slightly better by allowing you to choose whether they have one or two gears. That's something else I disliked about the Metru - they all had two gears. Of the three systems that was by far my least favourite. I actually replaced the second gear in the Metru with that small grey piece found behind the Mata's massive gear (you know what I mean). I was much happier after that.
     
    But wait! I have yet more to say about playability. The Mata also had masks that came off, which was great fun! It was wonderful to have contests between the Toa and watch them smack each other's masks across the floor! Okay, Pohatu never did very well and yes, the single-gear trio were at an advantage with the size of their weapons, but they were the coolest three! It's only fair that they win! *ahem* yes. But if you think that's all, think again! One thing that really set 2001/2002 apart was the interactivity of the sets. The Toa could knock masks of the Rahi, the Rahi could knock masks of the Toa, the Turaga could stand their flailing uselessly trying to reach something's mask (poor Pohatu)...it was great! The sets existed to DO something, not just stand there looking pretty! (which they did as well)
     
    I didn't mind the lack of arm/leg poseability too much. It actually gets a bit annoying, having limbs flailing everywhere, although you can't get half the poses with the Mata as you can with later sets. Just the typical "I'm staring into space. I can't see you, I'm ignoring you, just staring into space" pose. That was what annoyed me. The lack of neck movement. If there was a way to combine that and the gear system (like the Metru, but without arms that knock against things due to their wierd angle) I'd snap it up straight away!
     
    3. Toa Inika - These guys were great. Again they had a massive number of new pieces, they had light-up tools which looked awesome and the first multi-fire launchers. They were also the first Toa to introduce full poseability, which was great. They were also the first sets where all six did not share the same colour scheme, just in a different primary colour, and the first sets where they didn't all share the same armour. The colour schemes were, by and large, very nice. Jaller and Matoro were especially nice due to their transparant pieces, and to this day I adore Hewkii Mahri's colour scheme. The yellow/iron grey scheme worked better than later variations on the yellow colour, made all the better because the iron grey was the dominant colour and really made him look armoured.
     
    The light-up tools gave them something besides a simple shooting tool to enjoy. While the lack of an actual set feature was dissapointing, the light-up tools were nice - especially in the dark. The rubber masks I was less fond of. Excepting Matoro's, they just looked wierd! They were much more like faces than masks which would be fine, except they were meant to be masks! The wide torsos, coupled with thin shoulder armour and long arms, made them look very disproportionate. The shoulders were too wide and while it's good they used one of the shorter leg pieces for the arms, it still made them too long. Perhaps if the upper arm piece had been a 5-length piece instead of a 7-length one?
     
    So why did I put them in third? Because, despite their obvious faults, I like them. They were something new and interesting and the armour style suits them far better than any sets since, perhaps because it was made for them? They're fun to play with and easy to pose, as well as having the light-up feature which later sets in the same style do not have.
     
    4. Toa Hordika - Yes, the Hordika are not last. Why? Because, as strange and alien a concept as it may seem, I LIKE the Hordika. The Rhotuka was one of the most addictive and enjoyable launcher functions yet, and was actually part of the set and not some clumsy hand-held collossus tacked on to give the set the semblance of a feature. It was well incorperated into the design and worked, even with the ripcord which should by rights have killed them. The arms were annoying, particularly the left, but the right arm was interesting. The gear function wasn't the best in the world, but it's the only buildable limb we've ever had. It was a nice idea and I think it worked.
     
    Another thing I liked was the torso and armour. Really well-designed pieces IMO. The armour especially is incredibly versatile, and the body has a really nice shape to it and a lot of potential. The heads, while provoking controversy over the idea of Toa not having masks, were something different which is not necessarily a bad thing by any means.
     
    The completed effect was something which looked great and had two different functions. I have to admit I don't think the primary/bley colour scheme worked so well with these guys, especially with the added silver, but nor did it not work. I had - and still have - great fun playing with these guys and loved them and 2005 as a whole.
     
    5. Toa Nuva - Aaaaaahh yes. A formulaic rehash of the Mata that in essence was even worse than the Mahri and Newva from that angle. Nevertheless, I like them a lot. For me they have the strongest line-up of tools yet, and giving them all secondary 'transport' features was a stroke of absolute genius. What's more the ability to give them one or two gears was a definite improvement, as was the ability to hold the gears in place. I love them simply for that.
     
    But not exclusively. Their armour was awesome, and made them look even more heroic and powerful than the original Mata. Everything was a step up and they were even more fun to play with than the originals. Their masks mostly bore some resemblance to their originals and certainly had the appearance of being transformed.
     
    So if I love them so much, why are they so low in my list? Well, I'll tell you why. While they did everything the Mata did, and better, the still did little more and were almost carbon copies of the originals with a few bits and pieces tacked on. Yes I like them, but when what I like has been done before and there's nothing new, what's left?
     
    6. Toa Newva - A rehash of the old Inika formula, these lose major marks just for that. I have built that structure too many times to be interested anymore and if they weren't the Nuva I would never have bought them. Still, when you overlook that blatant and irritating flaw, they're not so bad. Lewa being lime green was excellent. Every Toa since Lewa Nuva has been dark green with bley, except Kongu Inika who was dark green with small splashes of silver which is no more enthralling. I like the colour dark green, but if they're not going to do anything interesting with it they may as well not bother. So they didn't. They chose a brighter, more exciting colour and...mixed it with bley. Yeah, I don't like the masses of bley and silver in the sets. My major complaint is how little they represent their Nuva counterparts, but I've beaten that one to death already so I'll skip over it.
     
    The Midak Skyblasters were and probably always will be my favourite launchers ever. Despite their size they look less cumbersome than the Cordak Blasters and fire extremely well. The Nynrah look cool, so points there, but fire badly so lose those points. As for other tools - they had them? Lewa and Tahu are the only ones who had seperate tools, but what tools they were! Lewa's Air Saber is one of my favourite weapons ever, and Tahu's Rotating Blade I thought was quite clever.
     
    The methods of flight given to the Phantoka were wonderful. I loved Lewa's jet pieces and Kopaka's wings, and while Pohatu's helicopter blades meant he had no arms they were still very inventive. The Mistika, on the other hand, decided to get two pieces (jets and small jet wings) and stick them in places. It looked cool, but I'd have preferred something more inventive for perhaps Gali and Onua.
     
    While these sets were good, they just felt like another dry rehash of an already over-used formula and so I find it hard to mark them up.
     
    7. Toa Mahri - Despite coming in last, I don't have the Mahri. I am a particular fan of Jaller Mahri's armour and thought the blue/lime scheme of Hahli Mahri was a nice idea. I also liked the Cordak Blasters (and have no trouble firing them whatsoever) as well as Jaller Mahri's awesome tool. There were a number of innovations, such as Matoro Mahri's build and Kongu's use of lower Hordika arms as shoulders, but as a line-up I feel them the weakest of all the Toa.
     
    The tubes were a nice idea, but I personally feel the sets look better without them (they also made the sets harder to sprite at times). I also felt, for all their great functionality, that the Cordak Blasters looked incredibly cumbersome and unwieldy and detracted from the sets' appearance as a whole. I also refused point blank to stick the spare ammo on their bodies. That just looks wrong. The masks were, by and large, not a bad set and certainly better than the Inika's.
     
    So why do they come last? Because basically, I don't feel the Mahri had anything that particularly set them apart. They played and felt much like the Inika due to following the same design conventions, and to me they didn't seem to pull off those conventions as well. The Inika had parts made for them which, together, gave the appearance of strong and powerful heroes. The Mahri attempted to follow this design, but ended up looking a mess because the parts they used had been designed for other sets and other purposes. I say again that I don't dislike the Mahri, but I don't feel they have anything over other Toa groups that has not been effectively replicated by similar and superior sets.
     
     
    Well there we go! I hope whoever read this found it interesting. I'm now going to go off and do...something. Yeah, that sounds good.
  17. Danska: Shadow Master
    It is true! I shall soon be getting a laptop to replace this old and battered heap of junk. It's about time, I think. I've been wanting a new computer for about four years now - and been honestly meaning to get one for as long. I found a great website back then which does custom-built desktops and laptops for very decent prices. I've had my eye on that website for about as long, but have never gotten round to buying anything.
     
    My current PC is seven years old and was new roundabout when XP was. Considering it's age the specs aren't too bad, but the 40GB hard drive really isn't enough. Even with an 80GB external I'm running out of space, and the fact I'm still working on USB 1 means anything I load off the external takes ages. Add to that the sheer volume of junk on here, its slowness and numerous other problems including its apparant inability to load up first time, something new would be greatly appreciated.
     
    Which is why I've ordered something, finally! I've been carefully saving my money this summer (ibetween spending it, not least on all the Mistika canisters and Takanuva) and on Sunday I finally ordered a laptop! Veeeeerrry good specs, especially for a laptop.
     
    Intel Core 2 Duo (2x 2.40ghz) Processor
    2GB RAM
    250GB Hard Drive
    Nvidia Geforce 8600 GT Graphics Card
    8x DVD player/rewriter/24x CD drive
    Network card
    Inbuilt Webcam
    Windows XP
     
    The last item is especially pleasing, as I have no desire to get Vista just yet. Also, XP was cheaper. Those specs make the laptop about 3-4 times more powerful than this machine, and should enable it to play a decent selection of games. I should at least be able to spend more time playing Dawn of War than I do waiting for it to load.
     
    The laptop's now ready to be built according to the website, and should be arriving sometime next week! Happy happy fun time!
  18. Danska: Shadow Master
    Alright. Let me begin by saying that I've seen the pictures, but I'm not going to spoil anything for anyone.
     
    2009 is supposed to be a fresh start for Bionicle. New location, new characters, new everything. Greg once mentioned, after I'd said how much I liked 2001-2003 for its scenery and location, that I should like 2009 a lot. As you can imagine, this has gotten my hopes up considerably.
     
    My impression, which could be right or wrong, is that 2009 will be similar in many ways to 2001. I imagine the setting to be closer to that in terms of technology and perhaps in terms of environment as well. This gives considerable scope for exploring new lands, ideas and cultures. I would dearly love to spend some time getting to know the inhabitants, how they live, what life is like and what the actual environment is like. In the old days we got to explore these places ourselves. I knew what every place was like because I'd been there myself and interacted with both the place and the people through the MNOLG. In 2002, and to a lesser extent 2003, the Webisodes provided this interaction that allowed me to gain an understanding of the region. In 2003 there were more webisodes, the MNOLG II and a film. Something, anything, to let me see the places would be dearly welcome.
     
    In terms of location, I'd like to see something with diversity. Mata Nui and Metru Nui had six distinct regions each with their own atmosphere, Rahi, challenges, culture and locations. Voya Nui and Mahri Nui had very, very little in this sense and while they both had potential, they fell very short IMO. Karda Nui is hardly better, with Mutran's description summing it up very well indeed. Given it's supposed size and incredible importance to the universe as a whole, I was sorely dissapointed by this. I would like to see somewhere that can be explored and have more purpose than a stage for battles.
     
    Unless Greg surprises us by throwing in a bunch of known characters, do you realise next year will be the first time we've had Toa (if they are Toa) who we haven't known since 2001? They'll be the first hero sets to have new, original names! I don't know why I'm excited by this, but it does seem cool.
     
    The sets such as I've seen are fantastic. Truly great. They have some things I don't like, so they're not perfect (what is), but I do really like them. I genuinely think BZP will like them as well. They have a number of things people have wanted, and a considerable number that I've wanted. What are these things? Heh, you know I can't say. I'd be bundled up and kicked out into a passing lorry before I could yell "pants". Infact, if you take that to mean before the general likelihood of me saying that rather than as a measure of time, then it could be a long time before that happens. I mean, I don't often run around yelling 'pants'. I don't think I ever have, infact. Why did I say any of that? I don't know.
     
    I have no idea what the story will be next year. I would like it to involve an epic quest with puzzles, obstacles and many reasons for the Toa to spread themselves across the location as far as possible to give multiple angles and viewpoints all leading up to an epic and surprising confrontation against some mysterious and powerful villain throwing in mysteries and surprises along the way, but that might just be me. Time will tell.
     
    Right. I think I'm done for now! If I come up with anything else to say I'll be sure to forget to write it anywhere. Stupid memory...
  19. Danska: Shadow Master
    8699: Takanuva Toa of Light and Shadow
     
    The Box

    Ah yes, the packaging. That annoying thing you have to rip apart in order to reach the vast multitude of glorious LEGO pieces that wait within. Personally I have very little interest in it, finding the main attraction to be the set itself, but I guess it needs a mention.
     

    Takanuva’s box is huge. Not as big as say, Kardas’s box, but it’s getting there. It has to be the largest box I’ve encountered for something that is neither a playset nor a combiner. Had I purchased this from a store the size may well have been an obstacle in transporting it home. Thankfully LEGO were kind enough to deliver it straight to my door, so it wasn’t an issue for me.
     
    The image of Takanuva on the box shows him in an action pose demonstrating the now familiar action feature of the Midak Skyblaster and looking quite menacing with his three-pronged staff, claws and cruelified mask of light. Much to my surprise, the picture on the box is almost 1:1 scale! Almost. The set itself is ever so slightly bigger, although the mask is much larger in the image than in real life. This all gives Takanuva an immense presence in the picture and makes him seem truly immense.
     
    Around the box are circular patterns, the middle of which is decorated by the familiar shape seen of a man seen on the Ignika. One such instance is in the O of BIONICLE at the top of the box. This is an almost unnecessary touch, but personally I like it.
     

    The back of the box shows Takanuva in a much more subdued and natural pose, along with adverts for the other summer sets and demonstrations of the action features. Until I got the set I had no idea Takanuva’s staff could spin! More on that later.
     
    The box is a very good advert for the set, but is really just that – a box. I can’t really say much more than that.
     
    The Pieces

    The core of any LEGO set are the parts themselves. Takanuva carries with him a vast array of parts, most of them familiar. Among the familiar are a few less familiar parts namely the new Avohkii, the lower claw and his chest armour. Of those, only the mask is unique to Takanuva, but I believe the others appear only in those colours in this set. I really like all of them. The claw piece is small but screams possibilities for MOCing. Unlike Nuparu Inika’s claws they go off at an angle, so could not be interchanged. The chest armour appears in a couple of other summer sets, and is a very nice piece. It works extremely well with Takanuva, providing a solid and pleasant cover for his torso. It is very flat but curves round slightly, and unlike the Inika armour is not tailor-made for any particular body type, which is excellent. The mask has many similarities to the Avohkii of old, but many differences too. The mouth is still there but more understated this time round, as are the three sweeping ridges at the top of the mask. The sides bear a passing resemblance to the smoother, three-holed sides of the original mask and the shape as a whole is quite reminiscent of the original mask. It has some sharper angles and what looks like teeth which, combined with the darker colour, make it look almost evil.
    Numerous pieces appear recoloured in this set. Among those are white Hordika feet – the first time to my knowledge they’ve appeared in a non-metallic shade – as well as gunmetal grey Takadox heads for the shoulders (I’d wondered for ages what the shoulders were), gunmetal Pohatu Phantoka…can they be called arms? as the upper leg covers and a whole host of new ‘hand’ pieces in white. Among my favourite parts are the outer leg parts. I remember those from sets like the Nui Rama and the Exo-Toa. I’ve always liked them, and seeing them in a new colour is a positive delight for me.
     
    Of course, one of the most noticeable things is the inclusion of no less than three Air Sabers! Wielded also by Lewa Nuva, I honestly believe it to be one of the most awesome weapons to date.

     
    The parts are, on the whole, very satisfactory. While it is a shame there are so few new ones, there’s a pleasant mix of old and new here (including many technic ‘poles’) which makes the set very appealing if you want to grab a few of the older, less stylised, more multi-purpose parts.
     
    Building the Set

    Takanuva has a nice build which, like the parts, has some old and some new ideas. I actually enjoyed building this set, which isn’t something I’ve been able to say very often these days. It won’t snap together instantly and time is required to get this guy together. Not too much, admittedly, but some. I was quite excited to see he has numbered bags for different parts, although this always leaves me gazing at the unopened bags with an eye for the parts yet unhandled. This system reminds me of older sets like Muaka and Kane-Ra, which I consider to be a very good thing.
     

    The instruction manual is the same as ever. The front two pages are given over to saying not to open pieces onto rough floor, only to open the first bag and which bag makes what part of the set. Personally I have enough sense to do those things anyway and I’m sure most people with any prior experience of building lego sets does too, but perhaps there are a few who need to be told that. Near the back there’s a part list (suddenly there doesn’t seem to be as many parts) which is useful. After that lego has, like that have with every bit of paper that passes their way these days, stuck adverts in. These are four double spreads – eight pages in total – given over entirely to the Mistika, vehicles, Phantoka and the website/lego club. Well, fair play to them. They need to sell as many sets as they can, and they’re very good quality images. Suddenly I dislike Onua Mistika less (but only slightly).

     
    With that excuse to show off a few images out of the way, onwards we go! You get the first hint of Takanuva’s immensity right at the outset, when you see just how vast the gap between the shoulders and the waist is. Just look at it! This guy’s gonna be big. I must admit I am pleased to see those huge technic rods back. I’ve always liked them – perhaps because I was a lego fan long before Bionicle ever appeared. They are incredibly useful little (ok, big) things, and entirely unobtrusive when used well.

     
    The next step is a bit odd, and had I not read another review before purchasing the set, would have left me scratching my head. I think the following image will show you why.

     
    One of my favourite parts about this set is the Inika foot at the bottom of the torso. Such a simple thing, but it gives me something different to look at than the bog-standard Metru/Vahki hip piece, one of which has been present in every single canister and titan since 2004! Actually, I’m not sure about Nidhiki…but anyway, bonus points here lego!
     
    Next up are the legs. These are titanic in proportion to previous Titan legs (heh. Titanic and titan) and are entirely custom! Yes! No longer is lego making do with standard canister-sized limb pieces! Instead we have legs scaled to the set itself that look so much better.
     
    The feet are quite reminiscent of Axonn’s, except this time they don’t look massive. They’re easily large enough to provide stable support for the set and actually remind me of the old Toa feet from 2001-2003. Perhaps that was deliberate. There, look! A built foot! It fits together very well in my opinion, and is a solid and robust piece of work.

     
    The lower legs are very simple indeed. They consist of two of those lovely pieces I mentioned earlier around the outside with a Hordika limb at the bottom and two – yes two ball joints to connect it to the upper leg! Believe me when I tell you this makes the set very stable indeed.

     
    The upper leg is a bit more complex, but hardly a challenge. You can see the basic build below, and the Pohatu arm just slots onto the blue connector you see sticking out. It flows very well with the set actually, and doesn’t stick out at all. I happen to think it was a very inventive use of the piece and I like it very much. Certainly better than a Piraka or Inika cover.

     
    The result is a leg which is scaled well to the set and has almost equally sized upper and lower sections – something many recent titans do not have. Each leg is also symmetrical, meaning the instructions don’t go through it twice but give a simple X2 indicator to say “Well done! Now go do it all again.”
     
    Unlike many legs, these ones cannot bend forwards. I initially thought it was the Bohrok eyes which stopped this, but I was wrong. See below? The way the piston attaches means that, if straightened up, the white piece connecting the piston will bash against the main leg and make it impossible to move any further forward than vertical. Very clever!

     
    A little addition to the legs once attached allows the white Metru upper leg (can the new ones be called that)? to attach, adding support to the upper legs via a method first introduced by Icarax. Unlike Icarax it actually works without seeming out of place, no doubt due to the set’s size.

     
    The height of Takanuva is in many ways owed to the legs. The use of those outside white pieces, which are large already, means the legs are not only a decent width but also surpass any previous legs for height too.
     
    The arms are even simpler than the legs (as always), and consist of an interesting upper arm build also with a double socket attaching it to the body and an Inika leg which I think works with this set (they’re too large for canister arms in my opinion). It also limits the arms from bending backwards, meaning Takanuva is very human in his limitations.

     
    The claw consists of only five pieces – a two-length rod, a blue friction pin, a white new-style hand, the new claw piece and a white Mahritoran blade. Very simple, but the opposable thumb is nice and the result does look great.

     
    The Midak Skyblaster attaches very simply to the arm, and again due to the set’s size does not look bulky and out of place like it does on canister sets. It blends in nicely, although does look a bit odd due to how far back from the arm it reaches. Still, I like it better there than I would were he holding it.

     
    So there we are! The completed set! You may have noticed the two pins sticking out of the arms. Onto those attach the Takadox heads, which looks very strange at any angle where you can see the face but otherwise look great. Another clever idea from lego.

     
    But wait! There’s something missing! And you’re right! How could I possibly forget the Power Lance? That awesome little weapon is incredibly simple, but because it has three Air Sabers that really doesn’t matter. It looks fantastic and suits the set well. Takanuva must be the only set that can possibly get away with using that many Air Sabers without seeming dwarfed.
     
    And there we are! Takanuva is ready to challenge Makuta, wherever they may be! And yes, my posing abilities are terrible. I do apologise.

     
    Playing with the Set

    Perhaps the heading’s a bit of a misnomer. I intend to talk about the set as a whole which does include playing with it, but not exclusively. First off, I’d like to say just how amazing Takanuva looks. Amongst any group of sets, he will stand out. You can see above how tall he is. If his height and Power Lance aren’t enough, the very solid build really helps him jump out from other sets. I find it so hard imagining him to be a Toa now. He looks like so much more.
     
    Something I don’t like is the use of the red axle pins. I could understand why the used them on Fenrakk, but since then they’ve systematically worked to ruin dozens of otherwise acceptable colour schemes – and the introduction of blue 3-length friction rods doesn’t help either. Compare the following two pictures and ask yourself: which looks better?

     
    Yes, I did go through and replace all 25 red pins with black ones. If I had the pieces I would also have replaced all the blue pins and rods, but alas I do not. Oh, you may also have noticed I added a little piece to the bottom of Takanuva’s staff. That is to stop it falling out. The lance is put through a O hole, so tip his hand too far down and out it slides. No more!
     
    As a finished product, Takanuva is great fun to play with. Not only does he make any Makuta look utterly puny, firing Midaks never gets tiresome and those claws allow for limited gripping. I tried to make him haul Teridax/Maxilos up by his neck, but sadly the claws aren’t strong enough for that. Hmm, perhaps I should try Icarax. Oh, he can do a handstand. Proof!

     
    I don’t know what more to say. He plays basically the same as any other Titan set, although seems heavier than most and feels very much like a massive canister set (a good thing). It seems that’s what the set designers had in mind, as much of the set feels like a direct upgrade from his 2003 form much like Maxilos was to Teridax, although there’s a definite difference in height there. Poor little guy…

     
    Yeah. Takanuva could probably step on him by accident if he’s not careful. No, I didn’t mean –
     
    Oh dear…

     
    Overall
    I absolutely adore Takanuva as a set. He’s one of my favourite sets of all time, definitely. The building is actually enjoyable and not quite as simple as most these days. The proportions are great and he looks every part the Titan he is. Not many new pieces, but when one of those is the new Avohkii I can’t really complain, can I?
     
    Only two things I’d improve, really. Well, three. One is the use of red and blue pins. Please lego, stop. The second is his staff’s tendency to fall out of his hand. The third, and this is purely a personal preference, is that I think he’d look so much better in gold. Can you imagine just how much more amazing he’d look with shining gold armour? Sure he looks good now, but that would be even better!
     
    I can’t see many major flaws with this set at all. It does exactly what it says on the tin – er, box – huge, awesome looking Titan set, Midak Skyblaster and an incredible staff…ok, lance. To anyone who isn’t sure if they should buy this set or not – buy it. Now. No, don’t sit there reading this! What are you doing!? Grab some money, go outside, head to your local toy store and buy this set! Now!
     
    In terms of ratings, should anyone desire such things, I shall give the set…a…number. Possibly. Letsee…
     
    Parts: 8/10
    Building: 8/10
    Playability: 9/10
    Overall: 9/10 (not an average)
     
    Now, what would one of my reviews be without a battle at the end? Icarax has, perhaps foolishly, stepped up to challenge Takanuva.

     
    Oh. It seems Icarax has had second thoughts and is…running away. Takanuva looks highly unimpressed. Guess there won’t be a battle today, folks!

     
    Gallery here when public. A few images I didn't include.
  20. Danska: Shadow Master
    I can't remember if I ever made an entry about how bad the Eragon film is. Whether I did or not, I'm making one now.
     
    Right. Let's start with the trivial things shall we? In the book Eragon is not 17, he does not have blonde hair and he actually has a personality different from every single generic fantasy/action hero in every sub-par fantasy book or film. The Raz'ac are supposed to have beaks, look nothing like their film manifestations, none of them die (VERY important) and I'm certain there's a different number in the film than there is in the book. Galbatorix is NEVER supposed to be seen, so we don't even know what he looks like yet but considering he's an ancient Dragon Rider, he probably looks more elvish. On the subject of elves, last I heard, they had pointed ears. What happened to Arya's? On another note, since when was Angela JUST a fortune teller (and an unconvincing one at that) and when did the Urgals become big men with bald heads and tattoos?
     
    With many of the trivial details aside (but by no means all), let's move onto the plot. It seems to me that whoever spearheaded the idea simply decided to pick out a few words he liked, throw 9/10ths of the plot out the window and re-write everything around those few happy words into something that only partially resembles the actual plot if you've been hit on the head by a sack of bricks, thrown down a large hill infested with angry gnomes armed with mallets and land in a stone ditch where, just to make sure, a team of disgruntled peasants have amassed to brutally remove whatever is left of your intelligence with a chisel. Not only do they simply cut out almost everything that happens, major events (or those that are left) are thrown together like tadpoles in a blender so it's almost impossible to distinguish where one begins and the other ends. Apparantly, Eragon goes from being a happy little farm boy with a blue stone to the hero of the Varden, crossing leagues and leages of country being pursued all the while in about two days. Oh, and Galbatorix manages not only to amass his army, but to get them across a vast mountain range from half way across the country in no more than twenty minutes. Not to mention Eragon managing to become a competant swordsman and magician over the course of about a day having started a novice at both at its beginning. It holds together about as well as a pile of sand in a tornado.
     
    I'm not finished yet. I've yet to mention the dialogue. From the moment Galbatorix announces "I suffer without my stone" you know the writer has about as much ability as a drowning beetle floating obnoxiously in someone's soup. The entire thing suffered painfully as the writer attempted to make grand and earth-shattering points with every single sentance. The result? A pile of repetetive drivel so unbelievable and ridiculous it makes a national sonnet-writing competition for sheep seem an almost everyday occurance. You know what I really hate? When the writer puts a phrase in somewhere loaded with undue significance and then, later on, throws it back at you with a smirk as if to say "wow, look! Aren't I clever?" No Mr Writer you are not. I don't care that you based the entire plot on a single pretentious and over-bearing sentance. I don't want to be reminded that "truth is greater than a sword" or "courage lies in the heart" or whatever other unnaturally significant phrase you want to come up with. People simply do not go around saying that to each other and then suddenly, in a moment of sudden realisation, proclaim it as if it were the meaning of all creation. Ok so Eragon doesn't do that as such, but it does seem to attach itself to certain annoying phrases that were almost bearable once but just sound cheesy when repeated again. I mean really. Dialogue is meant to be the characters speaking and should, therefore, at least act on the pretense that it's meant to sound in some small way natural or realistic. It should not be the writer's excuse to big themselves up and make important self-rightious statements that sound like they came from the mouth of a crusading fanatic than whatever character they are meant to be portraying (unless it's a crusading fanatic, but they'd probably start talking like everyone else should).
     
    with the exception of maybe two people, I found the acting to be at best unimpressive. At worst? Let's not even go there. It's as if they were each handed a little card saying '"you are [insert stereotype]" and told to run with it, then bashed repeatedly round the head whenever they tried to do something new or original until their portrayal of the character was as grossly inaccurate in their representation as modern art. I cringed so often at just how mind-numbingly blatant and painful some of the clichés were. Alright, they're working with a book that has a fair few of them itself, but not as many as that. Yes, alright. Arya is the 'love interest'. Except she went out of her way to show no interest in Eragon whatsoever, if I recall. With that in mind, I would very much like the penultimate scene in the film explained.
     
    I particularly want to have a rant about the character of Eragon. He could be stereotypical in many ways, yes. It's the classic 'farm boy inherits his destiny and becomes a great hero' story, and he fits right into it. That is not the same as having enough character to be played just as well by a moth-eaten piece of crumbling bark (I'm not even sure if moths eat wood. They do now, anyway). He really did have the personality of an old discarded brick forgotten about it the construction of a lavatory extention. He went from 'I'm a poor little farm boy' to 'no! I'm a crusading hero with a sword out to right wrongs like every single crusading hero before me!' in the blink of an eye and seemed uncertain the whole way through as to which he actually was. On second thoughts, that's being too generous. It almost makes him sound like he had some kind of recognisable personality. I'd hate to give anyone such a mistaken impression.
     
    If you hadn't guessed it already, I think Eragon works about as well as using cake and jam to build a house instead of bricks and mortar. It shows so much promise and looks delicious, but suddenly loses its attraction the moment you step in the door and it all collapses on you in one large mushy heap. It's such a blatant attempt to cash in on the LoTR wagon it hardly deserves to be called a film. It's more of a 'please give us your money we want to be big and popular and famous' heap of second-rate trash cunningly disguised with badly altered stickers from the latest big fad. I cannot believe I actually sat through it twice. If time is money then I want the cash equivilant to the amount of time I wasted in front of that poor excuse for a money-spinner back, please.
  21. Danska: Shadow Master
    Um, perhaps cake was the wrong word. After all, saving up is an action and cake is a physical thing, therefore the two cannot be the same, so it must indeed be the wrong word. I think the word I was looking for is 'hard'. Yeah, easy to get those two mixed up.
     
    As the title may have indicated, I am saving up for a laptop. I actually have enough to buy one now, but should I do so I'd end up with almost no money - a very undesirable prospect. So I'm going to try and nab another £500 or so. Thinking about it, that could take a while. I'm not sure I'll even have it by the end of the summer - especially not as I'm going on holiday late August. It also means I'll have to be much more careful about spending, which sadly includes things like Bionicle sets and a series of books I've started that I want to buy the next four of. Saving money has never been a strong point of mine, but if it means I can replace the old piece of junk I'm currently using it'll be more than worth it I feel.
     
    In other news, I did something shocking yesterday. I went round to my friend's house with a couple of other people where we set up a Wii and played Brawl (no, this isn't the shocking part). As we're all on holiday, that happens a lot. The shocking part comes next. We decided to go...OUTSIDE!!! The great outdoors! The wildy wildy (as my friend says)! That place with wierd green...things...and dangerous natural light! I'm not sure I've quite recovered.
     
    In other news, I've finally got my hands on a Tryna which means I now own at least one instance of every different plastic mask mold to date, with the exception of the Mistika masks. I'm quite pleased with myself now.
     
    Right then. I have absolutely nothing of importance to be doing right now, so I'm going to run off and not do those important things because they don't exist. Until next muffin...I mean time!
  22. Danska: Shadow Master
    As is always the case when new sets our out, people rush to buy them and be the first to provide a review - which stands as the only such review topic allowed of that set, all others required to fade into obscurity in the Official Review Topic. I can understand why people do this. It's nice to be the first to do anything, this being no exception. However I fail to see why this should be an excuse for poor reviews. I personally glean nothing whatsoever from a review that consists of five lines of text hastily scrawled under generic headings and twenty fuzzy and obscure pictures that show even less than the official images. What have I learnt from that? Nothing. Has it persuaded me to or not to buy the set? No it has not.
     
    This was originally intended to be nothing more than a mild rant at bad reviews (in general, nothing specific mind) but instead has turned into a piece pointing out what I think makes a good review.
     
    Pictures
     
    Now admittedly not everyone can take brilliant images either because they're a bad photographer (join the club) or because they lack suitable equipment. Until I forked out to get a decent digital camera I had to borrow my dad's, which was quite old and not always available. There are always things that can be done to improve photo quality, however.
     
    1. Lighting is very, very important. Don't take photographs in a badly lit environment - or at least make sure you have a decent flash.
     
    2. Try to hold the camera steady and don't take the picture until you're satisfied it's not wobbling too much.
     
    3. Find some way of displaying things that shows them clearly. I myself use the Kardas box for displaying pieces and a white door as a background for set pictures. I've used some pretty poor cameras, but this has always worked for me.
     
    I'm no expert photogropher - far from it in fact - but I honestly believe that the aforementioned things can improve photo quality, and are not that hard to do.
     
    If you are going to be the first person to post a review, photos really are a must. This is the first time members are going to be able to see the actual, physical set in someone's hands, so you simply must have images of some kind. This is not to say you need to intersperse every sentance with an image. You can get away fine with only three or four images if necessary - just try to make sure they're as clear as possible.
     
    What should a review include?
     
    Now, writing the review well is very important. Your purpose in writing a review is to inform the reader about the set and to explain its good and bad points as far as possible. You want to point out anything that's new, exciting or different from previous sets - this is largely why canisters still get a mention - and try to do more than just point things out. Yes, I can see Tahu has silver things on the back of his legs. I know Gali has things stuck to her mask. I can see that. I have my own eyes, thank you very much. What I want to know is the effect that has on the set. Does it improve or hinder poseability? How does it look in real life? Better or worse than in official images? Is there anything about them that surprises you? Would it look better as it is or without them? See how many questions there are? Try to answer as many as you can.
     
    It's also nice to include a bit of humour in the review. Completely optional, but it makes the experience more enjoyable for the reader. For the two I've done I included humorous captions beneath many of my images, put the characters in a few odd positions and included mock battles at the end. Ok, explaining how humour works really does make me sound like an old english professor or something. I'll stop now.
     
    Format
     
    While the almost universally accepted BZP reviewing format is good, don't stick to it simply for the sake of it. If you think something doesn't need its own heading, you can think of another one to include or you want to use completely different ones, there's no reason why you shouldn't. Say what you want how you want - just try to make it as useful and insightful as possible.
     
    Whatever format you use, try to cover as wide a range of things as you can. The standard headings for reviews are very broad. They can be used to cover everything, but it can also be easy to miss things along the way. Before you write the review, try to note down - either in your head or somewhere else - anything you could possibly include, and at what point in your review you plan to include it.
     
    Persuading the reader
     
    I've mentioned explaining the good and bad points before. Remember that you are trying to convey your opinion on the set. Why is it good? Why is something bad? In the end, how does this effect whether someone should or should not buy the set? A good review should be an analysis of the set written to give the reader as complete an overview as possible of the set so that they may form an opinion on whether it's worth their money or not. Pointing out facts won't help with this - people want to know what you think and why. That's where the persuasive element comes into it.
     
    To sum up
     
    I hope I haven't caused anyone to bury their heads and cry at the seeming impossibility of it all. That's if anyone's actually reading this, which I doubt. Here's a (hopefully) brief checklist of what I think a good review should have:
     
    Good images
    Take the best pictures you can and use them where applicable. Doesn't have to many, but certainly for reviews of new sets they're important.
     
    Detail
    Try to include details on as many features of the set as you can. Mention the type of build, how easy or challenging it was and what new pieces are like. Anything else you can think of, throw in there. Try to do more than just state the blindingly obvious, too.
     
    Opinion
    Explain what's good, what's bad and above all why you think that. Imagine you're the person reading this and are unsure whether or not to buy the set. What would you want to know?
     
    Good format
    Don't just post one huge mass of text. Break it up with different headings. Now most reviews do this, and it's become pretty much standard now. That's a good thing, provided the headings used are appropriate. Use the headings to explain what you want to say.
     
    ...and that's it! Whether anything I've written is useful or more than just wild ramblings I do not know. I'll let you decide that.
  23. Danska: Shadow Master
    No, this has nothing to do with the Makuta's evolution into Antidermis or even the Makuta species. It is to do with the two primary releases of Teridax as a set: Makuta 2003 and Maxilos.
     
    Has anyone noticed that Maxilos is in essence a direct evolution of the 2003 set? I've modded my Maxilos to wear the MEK with an old-style head (looks AWESOME) and it just looks like a bigger version of Makuta 2003 in every way. I think I need some illustrations for this. Let me see...*hunts around Brickshelf*
     

     
    Now, let me explain just how similar they are:
    0: Straight off, the colour scheme. Identical. Fairly obvious one, that.
    1. They both have large, domed shoulders. On a related note, both sets use two recoloured versions of an important mask as armour of some kind (hand and shoulder)
    2. Very minor, but this little thing really did stand out as something they have in common. That little light-grey piece. Ok Maxilos uses a larger version, but it's in the same place
    3. The type of tube and connection method is completely different, but they both have a silver tube where there would otherwise be a gap
    4. Their chests are built the same way. Large, iron-grey piece at the front with two smaller iron-grey pieces over the shoulders
    5. They both have dark grey arms and a smattering of red. This is a fairly tenuous link, but it's there in my opinion
    6. They both have hands with three claws, a red hand piece and, on at least one hand, a blue friction pin
    7. Makuta 2003 uses that silver piece as a connection method for the legs. Maxilos mimics this appearance almost unecessarily with two silver pieces
    8. Iron-grey piece placed over a red piece for the legs
    9. Ah, the feet. These really are interesting. The shape is very similar, with both the front and back of Makuta 2003's at an angle and the back of Maxilos's angled in a very cool fashion
    10. Both set's feet put silver bohrok eyes on either side
    11. Both sets have a double-bladed staff in their left hand.
    12. On the back, both have a large silver piece covering their upper back. Makuta 2003 has a Pohatu Nuva claw, Maxilos uses Hordika armour. Both of these pieces are curved, and curve into and not out of the set.
     
    That's basically the crux of what I noticed. There are probably other minor similarities too. On their own I expect each of the points I made could be disregarded as trivial. But together? I am certain the designers at the very least took inspiration from Makuta 2003 when building Maxilos. I even suspect it was their attempt to 'bring Makuta up to date' with the full range of poseability.
     
    Has anyone else noticed just how similar the two sets are, or is it just me?
  24. Danska: Shadow Master
    Well in light of the underwhelming response to recent entries which falls completely in line with my expectations, here's another one! This time, reviewing Bionicle Legends 9!
     
    Yes, I know. The book came out months ago. I only got it today, right? So shush.
     
     
    "Experience has taught him it was better to have a plan...Life, unfortunately, wasn't going to stop while you did that...sometimes it dropped you right into the midsts of an all-out-war without so much as a "guess where you're going?""
     
    All-out-war. That is basically what this book is. A war between light and shadow, good and evil. A war between the Toa Nuva and the remaining Matoran of Light desperately fighting for their survival and the Makuta; powerful beings of shadow out to control and corrupt everything they touch. Although they do not have an army, they soon create one using their shadow leeches - not that they need one. It is evident from the start that the Makuta have no problem single-handedly destroying a few villages in spite of resistance.
     
    Far more than 2007 where each Barraki had his own army, this book gives me a much stronger feel of war. The Matoran of Light really are desperate, with their friends and allies turned against them, facing uncountable odds. By the time the Nuva arrive they have all but lost, and not just the battle. They really have lost everything. It truly feels like there's something worth protecting here. The fate of the universe is at stake, but so is the fate of these Matoran. This, for me, is what makes the book. The fact that it shows this and gives me something real and non-abstract to care about. With Matoran given far more prominent roles in the story, suddenly their lives start to matter.
     
    This, for me, is a good thing. The past couple of years especially I've had very little interest in the fate of the Matoran, because they simply haven't mattered. Only six Matoran were free in 2006, and they played the hero part so much by themselves I wasn't concerned about them being protected or rescued. Nor did I care for the other Matoran, for they were just a nameless horde. Last year the Matoran got almost no screentime. Almost nothing about their village was revealed, and there were painfully few Matoran with which I could connect or emphasize. This year the Matoran are genuinely interesting characters who, while able to fight their own battles, really do need saving.
     
    A definite thumbs-up here. All through the book there is atmosphere, there is action, there is humour and there is a feeling of grandness and scale that has really escaped the last couple of years. So far so good.
     
     
    "Tahu, Kopaka...they would be out there fighting. Not sitting here, hiding and waiting."
     
    Now here we get onto something very important: the characters. Fans of the Nuva rejoice! They have returned! While their sets may bear little resemblance to their 2002 counterparts, Greg has revived their characters flawlessly. Each one is true to form, although as expected the Mistika get little more than mentions. Kopaka is ice-cold and calculating to the last, yet has obviously learnt from his time on Mata Nui and at last understands the value of teamwork. Lewa is as likeable as ever, always carrying a joke or two to lighten the tone. And Pohatu? Aaaaaahh. Good, dependable Pohatu. Noble, strong and a friend to all, the Toa of Stone never changes.
     
    In a way, I am relieved. As an old fan, I am delighted to see that Greg has managed to retain their unique personalities that meld so perfectly with the elements they represent. Each one is a true avatar of their element which is why, for me, they will always be The Toa and more than just another team.
     
    But the Nuva are not the whole story. We have Matoran and we have Makuta. First I'm going to talk about the Matoran. You know, those small dudes that the Toa are here to protect. Not so weak anymore, the Matoran fight their own battles. Each has a strong and unique personality and add a whole new dimension which would be lacking if it were just Toa vs Makuta. The fact that Karda Nui has inhabitants turns it into more than just another battleground. While we may not get to know much about the Matoran's way of life, we do get to know them. Solek I particularly like. He's very much the Matoran who, so like his 2001 counterparts, looks to the Toa for protection and idolises them in every way.
     
    Now, the Makuta! I've deliberately left these guys till last, partly because I wanted to test my own patience. I've been itching to write about them. The Makuta really are Makuta in every way. Powerful, confident and nasty, these are not beings you want to be on the wrong side of. Infact, given their disregard for all other lifeforms and their feeling of complete superiority, I'm not sure I'd want to be on any side of them at all! Even when blind, they carry themselves with all the strength and confidence expected of a Makuta. Furthermore, they're not backstabbing traiterous gits like EVERY villain of the last two years! Sure they may not have any great love of each other, but even the vilest of beings can have respect for another. Makuta may not like each other, but they have enough respect and sense to recognise the foolishness of trying to continually undermine and eliminate each other. For that simple fact, I love reading any scene with these guys in.
     
    Oh I could go on for ages about the Makuta, but there are other things to discuss! I might just make a quick mention of Toa Ignika. He's a really great character. He has no real understanding of what it is to be a Toa, or even to be alive. This causes him to do some very...questionable things, which makes it all the more interesting. No one really has a clue who or what he is either, which is good fun.
     
    So, onwards!
     
     
    There wasn't much there, but what there was told a clear story
     
    Greg has an interesting style. He always finds time to slip in the tiniest hints of irony and some unusual phrasings. I must confess, I adore this sort of thing. I enjoy writing myself, and having studied English (for good or for worse) I do enjoy these small oddities. I'm not going to bore you too much with a stylistic analysis of the book though. I suspect that may not be the most riveting of reads. Instead I'll talk about how he tells the story.
     
    The story is extremely linear, which each event picking up right where the last one left. Reading it does give the feeling of a complete story, which is great! Especially when this book is one of three this year. As always, Greg's book follows the characters rather than a pre-planned developing plot. I like both approaches to stories, but given the circumstances and the length I'd say this approach works very well. There certainly is plot development, that much is certain, but a lot of the book is about what happens to the characters and how they deal with the situations they find themselves in. This allows the characters to be explored nicely, and you really do get to know them as the book goes on.
     
    Something I've sidestepped until now is the action. There's a lot of this in the book. The Makuta seem to rely far too much on their shadow powers, ignoring for the most part their incredible range of other abilities. I tried writing a Makuta vs Toa fight once, and the Toa got completely slaughtered within half a page. I just couldn't see how to avoid it. When you're armed with powers like gravity, magnetism, weather control, teleportation, sonics, accuracy, sleep and all those other abilities, how can you lose? Yet somehow the Toa manage to put up a much better fight against three such opponents than I feel can rightly be expected of them. Nevermind. The fights were enjoyable nonetheless, and didn't detract significantly from the story. Well, I suppose when there's a war on that's hard to do, isn't it?
     
     
    Antroz perched on a high ledge and looked down over Karda Nui. His searching gaze took in the Matoran villages, built atop fallen stalactites, and the great swamp far below.
     
    I must confess, I don't believe setting to be Greg's strongest point. Maybe it's because I'm used to the days of the MNOLG and the Webisodes, but I never find the books give an entirely satisfactory picture of the surrounding environment. It's actually a failing I (believe I) share when writing, so I'm not going to criticise too much. I do like to be able to picture a scene or a place in my head and, while I can usually do this, there often seems to be a lack of detail. I dunno, maybe I should read it again. I tend not to spend time over the books, given their size. Only an hour or two, really.
     
    Actually, their size could be a reason for this. Description of place can take up a lot of space in a book and, as nice as it is, tends not to be essential to the story itself. In almost any circumstance I'd say 'don't leave it! Put it in!' but when writing to a word limit like Greg, sometimes there are more important things. He does manage to create atmosphere throughout the book, so it can't be all bad. Infact, it's a long way from it.
     
    Karda Nui has a bit more personality than previous settings. Voya Nui and Mahri Nui, for all their potential, just didn't do it for me. They turned into nothing more than battlegrounds for the Toa and whatever enemy they happened to be fighting. This is still somewhat true, and Karda Nui (given its size) can be seen as something as a letdown. The entire place is a huge swamp with a few isolated villages atop some stalactites. Anything else? Any features of interest? No? Ok then. What a thrilling location. I remember Greg once described the Universe Core as being 'almost a universe in itself'. This really excited me. Then we got this. Still, the inclusion of village settings and research labs does add some flavour to the place. Karda Nui, while not what I had hoped or expected, does manage to be an interesting location to visit if not explore.
     
     
    "There's no getting around it - darkness is going to win here."
     
    So how does the book shape up overall? Well in my opinion, quite well. Like many I am thrilled to see the original heroes back in the main story. They remain as awesome as ever and true Toa to the last. All the characters have personalities which are explored throughout the book - an impressive feat, given the sixteen or so characters all competing for the main spotlight. What happens in the book seems to occur naturally, and not as a convenient plot device like in some books. Another definite plus.
     
    The book provides an excellent start to the year. It sets the scene nicely and introduces many of the characters and problems to be faced by the heroes. Considering the Toa Nuva are in Karda Nui to awaken Mata Nui, there seems to be very little mention of that. Given that there's a war on, perhaps this is unsurprising. Wars to tend to disrupt even the best laid plans.
     
    Settings are an improvement on past years, but still lacking in my eyes. If there's anything I'd like to see improved, it's this. I like a bit of description now and then, although too much tends to get in the way of a story.
     
    So, yes! I would definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in following the Bionicle story. I think fans of the earlier years will like this more than the books of previous years. It features the original heroes, multiple Makuta who are all fantastic characters in themselves, a return to a more traditional Toa-defend-village approach and, of course, the first steps to awakening Mata Nui! It's been a long road, but the end is in sight! I am now eagerly awaiting the next installment not because there was a shocking cliffhanger of an ending (I believe I stated the story is quite nicely self-contained), but because I'm genuinely interested in what's going to happen. I don't think this is Greg's best book, but it's certainly one of the better ones. Let's hope future books keep to the same standard!
     
     
    Now, sleep. I no longer even have the energy to read through this. If my non-existant readers spot any mistakes, errors or general bad stuff, I hope they let me know.
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