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Danska: Shadow Master

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Blog Entries posted by Danska: Shadow Master

  1. Danska: Shadow Master
    Second week of having the house to myself, still managed to avoid any serious cooking for the most part. But all that is about to change! Oh yes! Next week, I have set myself the challenge of not heating up any pre-cooked food or resorting to microwaveables. That means doing my own cooking!
     
    I've never done that before.
     
    I've been told how to do a couple of mince-based dishes, I can do pasta, I can do sausages, mashed potato and one of two other things. In theory, I should be ok but...who knows? Cooking has never been my strong point.
     
    Still, if I survive, at least I know I'll be ok for Uni if I go self-catered!
     
    If I survive.
  2. Danska: Shadow Master
    Yesterday I completely wasted my time by going to Kent University for an Open Day. It's a long way from me, and I had to get up at 4:30am in order to get there. The journey involved two train journeys and a ride on the London Underground to travel between stations in the middle. Once there, a coach was waiting to take people to the University except there were more people than could fit on the coach, so we had to wait half an hour for the next one. In the meantime I had a interesting talk with a student who'd been sent to organise things at the Station. He happened to do Philosophy, so could tell me things about the course (and in the end more than I learnt from the lecturer I spoke to).
     
    The organisation for the Open Day was pretty poor. Considering it's something they do every year, you'd at least think they'd understand roughly how many people need to get there, the need for signposts and that having six hour-long talks in a day, only two of which are repeated, is not clever when there's so much more people want to do and find out.
     
    The talk on Philosophy was a waste of time for me. It was all about paradoxes and logic which, while interesting, is not the area of Philosophy that interests me and it certainly doesn't tell me anything about the course itself and what I'm likely to be doing if I study there (you know, just minor issues like that). I did get some amusement from hearing people after the talk commenting on how fast he moved and problems with keeping up. I had no trouble at all and thought he laboured some of the points for too long. Heh.
     
    I didn't learn much about what it's like to live or study at the University. While I knew where the shops and clubs were, I didn't see what the clubs and bars were like. I did get to see some of the accommodation, which I didn't on my last Open Day trip and was quite surprised by how small it is. Still, that shouldn't be a problem. I doubt I'll be spending masses of time there save to sleep. I'm not sure whether to go for catered or non-catered. I can't cook that well, but surely part of the fun of Uni life is learning skills like that? Catered would be easier, but it all seemed a bit too much like school dinners for me to be overly enthusiastic about the idea. I just hope I don't poison myself if I choose non-catered...
     
    The library was massive, though again they seem to expect people to know what part is what without due signposting. I wanted to have a look at the Philosophy section, but couldn't for the life of me work out where it was (except it was on the top floor, meaning I climbed lots of stairs for nothing).
     
    It's a very scenic sort of place and has some beautiful locations. It's just a pity the buildings spoil it. The University was built in the 1960s, and British architecture really wasn't at its best in those days. Big, rectangular grey buildings were the norm with little or no distinguishing features to make them seem even the slightest bit appealing. I found it a bit depressing to be honest, and don't think I'd like to wake up to that every day. That is what really put me off, for I really don't think I could live there happily. I could be wrong - I could love it - but I'd rather go for somewhere that gives me a decent impression.
     
    The lack of organisation seemed to be building up to a glorious climax as the coaches that were supposed to take us back to the station didn't turn up. Instead I had to rely on a Uni bus (after over half an hour of waiting) which cost me £2. Cheap, yes, but when there's supposed to be free transport available having to spend any money is very unwelcome.
     
    Undoubtedly a good University, but I don't think it's for me. If I get into Reading, I know where I'm going.
  3. Danska: Shadow Master
    I was rather bored today, so decided to write a review of The Force Unleashed. Wanna know why? Well, why not?
     
    Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (Nintendo Wii)
     
    I'm sure this game is known to almost everyone who has anything to do with games. It's the latest Star Wars game promising to completely revolutionise the story and to take the Force to a whole new level. I honestly believe it achieved both of these – to an extent. It's not perfect, but then what is?
     
    The gameplay is fairly straightforward. Run around, slash things with lightsaber and blast them with the Force until dead. Move on and repeat. That said, it's really fun! I mean, who hasn't wanted to be able to lift a Stormtrooper into the air and use him as a battering ram against his allies? What isn't cool about incinerating an entire room with Force Lightning? Is choking the last, annoying and powerful enemy to death while suspending them over a bottomless pit not immensely satisfying? You can do some very cool things with the Force this time around.
     
    Telekinesis provides the bulk of your Force abilities from hurling enemies across the room, lifting them and throwing them over ledges or sending nearby scenery (and bombs, for some reason) flying into a group of unsuspecting stormtroopers. There are also a number of combos you can get, mostly combining your lightsaber and some sort of power. To be honest I mostly ignored these, but being able to combine Force Push and Force Lightning was VERY useful.
     
    While the gameplay can get repetitive, it's fun repetitive! As your force powers grow stronger through the game you'll enjoy testing them out to see what you can now do. The enemies get progressively more annoying as the game continues, the worst being anything with a jetpack. They delight in flying above your camera and shooting you with fifty-lasers-a-second guns and flame-throwers while you flail around helplessly trying to get them in view. Then of course, they DON'T DIE!!! And you can't throw them off ledges either, because they have JETPACKS! Besides that, you'll usually find a few combos that work well and will continue to use them through the game. I utilised Force Push, Lightning and Grip far more than anything else – even my lightsaber – so could take out most enemies from a distance. Of course, charging into the fray with your saber blazing is another approach that works well.
     
    There is a lot of variety here, and the range of abilities should keep you entertained for a good while. I enjoyed the game enough to have completed it twice now and was always finding new, better ways to kill things. What's really great about this game is that I actually feel like a Jedi! I feel like I can control the Force and the range of lightsaber abilities is excellent. In other Star Wars games I've often been left wondering “well, why couldn't I do that? I'm a Jedi!” That happens much less often in this game.
     
    While it's good, the game does have its flaws. The camera often seemed much more interested in looking at walls than the enemy that had just sneaked up and was whacking me in the face. When I turn round, I kinda want to be able to see what my character is looking at, y'know? Taking five seconds to do that can be costly. My character, and NPCs, also seemed to get stuck in some stupid places. I think a boss managed to take off half my health once just be trapping me in a corner and breaking the game so I couldn't move or jump. Boulders also seem to be difficult for NPCs to navigate round at times and even manage to make them blind to my presence when I can see them just fine.
     
    I've seen it said in many places that the force doesn't really feel as unleashed as promised, and I kind of agree. Certainly the system stands head and shoulders that of any other Star Wars game, but as I mentioned, it just felt like I was a Jedi and not some super-powered planet-destroying death machine the Apprentice was reported to be. I don't want to complain too much as I love the system, but it does feel more scaled back than was originally mentioned.
     
    The controls are excellent. Really, they are. A lot of games for the Wii spam the motion sensitive controls and throw them in where, really, they were not needed. This game uses them appropriately and really, really well. Your wiimote works as your lightsaber. Swing it to kill stuff. Your nunchuck is your left hand (well, right in my case) and acts as your Force powers. Push forward to use Force Push, hold Z to grip, C to use lightning etc. It makes so much sense it hurts. It will take a while to get used to them, but once you do it's absolutely fantastic. I found the key was getting over thinking about it as a wiimote and nunchuck. Think lightsaber and force powers and you'll be away! Get the Lightsaber add-on for the wiimote you'll be even better. I don't have it myself, but I imagine it makes things very fun indeed.
     
    Boss battles tend to be either a Jedi or a giant robot. Of those, the Jedi are easily the most fun to fight. It's not like a lot of boss battles where you wait for them to attack, dodge then hit them lots – these guys don't have a routine as such, making them all the more dangerous. They will act logically (keep your distance they'll use force powers, get close they'll stab you) so you have to be prepared for that. These battles are really, really fun and one of the best parts of the game experience. Don't expect to be waiting ages for your first Jedi battle, either. They appear very early on in the game.
     
    The graphics aren't brilliant, and at times they seem quite old, but this is the Wii. It isn't up to the same standard as other next gen consoles. To be honest, I don't think the graphics are that bad. I also don't adhere to the current opinion that good graphics make a good game. A good game makes a good game, that's why it's a game and not a series of cinematic videos. It's designed to be played, and so the most important thing is gameplay. As I feel the gameplay here is excellent, for me it overrides any graphical issues the game might have. My judgement here is “good enough”. If you're a Wii owner you probably aren't used to amazing graphics anyway, so it shouldn't be a huge issue.
     
    The music is up to the usual standard. I recently watched A New Hope, and through the entire film I kept thinking “I've heard that piece in this game!” or “Oh, that's from that bit!” You can't go far wrong with traditional Star Wars scores, and the game uses them very well indeed. The sound effects work well too, and are never overpowering. Overall I wouldn't say the sound quality is exceptionally noteworthy, but it's not by any means bad or lacking.
     
    The storyline is, in my opinion, another area where the game shines. Far better than the prequel trilogy and containing a couple of breathtaking twists. From start to finish I was hooked, and was genuinely surprised at times. About half way through a certain event (which I shall not elaborate upon) happened and I thought “oh no! This must be the end!” only to be even more surprised by the way the story continued!
     
    The story itself is advanced through cutscenes and cinematics. This is nice, but it makes the game incredibly linear. During many of the cutscenes I became quite annoyed by how the Apprentice was acting, because it simply did NOT fit with how I'd been playing him! After a game like Knights of the Old Republic, this entirely linear development seems restraining. It's almost a kick in the teeth when the game finally allows you to choose the light or dark side. All through the game you've been rigidly following its structure then you FINALLY get the chance to effect the game, except by then it's too late! It's the end! I would much rather have been able to effect my alignment and perhaps other things throughout the game, but I digress.
     
    There are a few extras available in the game. It's possible, for example, to choose the colour of your lightsaber by collecting crystals, choose your hilt (by finding them) and to choose your outfit. You also collect holocrons throughout the game which let you view various images or pieces of concept art. There are 200 to collect, so chances are you won't find them all. After playing through the game twice I've only found 120 or so. There's also the Duel Mode, which allows you to pick a character and face off against a friend. I haven't had a chance to try this yet as I don't often have friends round, but I'm having a few over on Thursday so will hopefully be able to play around with this.
     
    So, what do I think overall? Well the gameplay, despite a few minor faults, is fantastic. This, for me, is the most important part of a game and the part that has the most impact on my opinion. It's quite a basic system but with the potential for greatness should you wish to experiment. The controls work nicely and seem a lot better than a normal controller. They seem so natural and intuitive, which really helps you get into the game. Lots of enemies around you? Frustrated that they're not dying? Trying to slash them apart with a lightsaber (or Wiimote) has to be more fun than endlessly tapping a few buttons. The graphics serve their purpose, though are not nearly as good as they are on next-gen counterparts, and the sound is essentially what you'd expect from a Star Wars game and nothing more. The story should keep you hooked and will surprise you (unless you've looked at spoilers), although the love aspect seems a bit...well...it's Star Wars. Need I say more? The extras are nice little additions, though nothing to shout about. I would have been much happier if the Duel mode let me fight an NPC opponent, but alas.
     
    So, should you get this game? In fact, let me phrase that differently. Do you want to be a Jedi? If the answer is yes, buy this game. If the answer is no...bah, what am I saying? EVERYONE wants to be a Jedi!
     
    The pros far outweigh the cons in this game and in my opinion it's well worth your money. I thoroughly enjoyed it (both times), so hopefully you will too.
     
     
    On a side note, this is Entry 66. Like Order 66! You see!?
  4. Danska: Shadow Master
    Hello, hello! I can see you eyeing my biscuit collection. Yes, you! They're MY biscuits, so paws off!
     
    Laptops. I've spoken about laptops - or rather, my new shiny awesome godlike super-machine - but recently another laptop arrived. My mum, getting highly frustrated with her current laptop which, really, is no surprise given that it has trouble doing something as simple as switching between programs (believe me, I'm not exaggerating), wanted another one. I managed to find a useful little website that sold refurbished machines, meaning they tended to be old and cheap. Given that my mum only uses her laptop for the internet and typing, that was exactly the sort of thing she needed.
     
    So we got one, it arrived at some unearthly hour yesterday morning so my mum dragged me out of bed to get it running for her. Note that I am of the opinion that mornings exist for sleeping, and the day begins at midday. So, with much grumbling, sort it out I did. I NEVER want to go through the process of transferring emails again! Gah!
     
    I'm currently searching for a job...well, kinda searching. Ish. I'm also lined up to attend some university open days. If I don't like them that's unfortunate as I've already applied. Hopefully I should like at least one out of the five. My first visit is Saturday, which should be interesting. I fear I shall get myself horribly lost, despite a shuttlebus going to and from the train station. Directions were never my strong point.
     
    Games! I want to talk about games! Games are fun! Two in particular that I play are EVE Online and The Force Unleashed (Wii version). EVE is great if you know people. I've fallen in with a few crazies who all seem to speak Dutch and have a ship that's somewhat more powerful than any I should have given my current playtime and experience. Friends are useful. They can buy you stuff and, if they're really experienced, take you on missions which you gain tons of cash from. Just today I gained more cash from one such mission than I've made in the whole of the past week and a half I've been playing. I like how the skills train too (choose one, tell it to train, wait for the length of time it takes either online or offline), but it gets tedious waiting for them at times. When you're training them to level 4 or 5 (highest levels), they literally take days if not weeks to complete.
     
    The Force Unleashed you may well have heard of, being a multi-platform well-hyped release set to change the history of Star Wars blah blah blah. Wait, what am I saying? Curse you negative tone for twisting my words! The game is awesome! While the force powers aren't as 'unleashed' and overpowered as expected from all the advertising and so on, they still far surpass those of any other Star Wars game to date. Finally I can hurl opponents around like rag dolls, send boxes flying into them, drop them over pits, toss them into each other and actually feel a bit more like a Jedi. Though, for a Jedi (well, Sith), his blaster blocking skills suck. And he must be using a training saber, because some enemies simply do not die! I'm there, stabbing them over and over and over again with my lightsaber inflicting horribly disfiguring wounds upon them yet they keep coming! Why won't they die!? That aside, I utterly adore the game. I haven't completed it yet and have no idea where it's going to take me (some VERY interesting plot twists), and I can't wait to find out!
     
    On a completely random note, I've just remembered there's something on TV I want to watch shortly. It's the only thing I ever watch on TV, yet it conflicts with going on EVE to train a skill...stupid time. Why can't I control it?
     
    Yes, I want superpowers. You know that old question "if you could have any superpower what would it be"? Well for me, there's no contest. Telekinesis. Seriously, that power would be ultimate if properly applied. You could defend yourself against anything, avoid effort in almost any situation, fly, as an extension of flight (and generally moving yourself) travel at super-fast speeds and pull a whole host of cunning pranks on people. The possibilities are endless!
     
    I'm re-reading a book called Brisingr right now. It's the third book in the Inheritance Cycle (originally a Trilogy, but it's since been expanded into four books) that started with Eragon (mention the film and you die), continued into Eldest and now this one. I have to say, I enjoyed it. Some interesting tie-ups to sub-plots and answers to old questions, but still there are more. I do feel Eragon's strength is being seriously downplayed, given he has both elf-like strength and abilities on top of being a rider. He should be able to manage much more than he does without being tired out IMO. There are also a couple of other things I would question, but besides that I thought it was great! Well worth the read.
     
    I've got to look after myself these next two weeks. I don't want to say why, but I shall be all on my lonesome. This means I'll have to cook, wash and look after things myself. Well not cook so much, as my mum's prepared various things that I can throw in a pan and heat up, but even so...eep! On the other hand I'm quite looking forward to it. Two weeks by myself without anyone else there breathing down my neck telling me to do this or that - and it's good preparation for when I finally go to University and life thereafter. Yeah, my attitude is strangely optimistic for once.
     
    And that about wraps it up! I'm off to do whatever it is I end up doing. Until my next entry!
  5. Danska: Shadow Master
    A Level results came out yesterday. I would have made an entry earlier except I was out celebrating yesterday and earlier today I went to see the Clone Wars (don't). I actually passed! My results were much better than I expected, too! If you're not British, I'll give you a brief explanation of the results system. The grades range from A to E. All of those are a pass, although the higher the grade the better the pass. There's also a U, which means means you failed. My grades were:
    Philosophy: A
    Critical Thinking: B
    English Language: C
    Computing: D
     
    Really pleased with the Philosophy and Critical Thinking, as I want to do Philosophy at University. English Language really surprised me. I expected to get lower than that. I was also annoyed, if not surprised, by my Computing result. They've been messing us around from the start and provide almost no guidelines at all for the coursework, so I more or less flunked that. I'm also convinced they mismarked at least one of my exams. Nevermind.
     
    There's also the advantage that I've recieved £55 from various family members. I'm going to London next week, so that won't last long I fear.
     
    Happy!
  6. Danska: Shadow Master
    Today is the beginning of a week full of busy. Yes, busy has now become a noun. Authorisation: me. Deal with it.
     
    Today I'm going to a surprise party being thrown in town for someone who's going to India in a few weeks, where she shall be staying for a year to teach ickle people. God only knows why, but it is an excuse for a party!
     
    Tommorow I'm going to a friend's house for a Wii party mostly involving Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which will take up most of the day. THEN in the evening I'm going out for a meal to celebrate my friends' 19th birthdays (they're twins). There will be many people both familiar and less so and most importantly, lots of pizza!
     
    Wednesday A friend is coming round and we're going to see The Dark Knight. About time! I've wanted to see that for ages!
     
    Thursday...it's Doomsday. Results are coming. They shall be hideous. I shall die. Then I may go out drinking either to celebrate or commiserate. I may have spelt that wrong. Oh well.
     
    Friday was my free day, however I heard there may be a plan for me to go and play Dungeons and Dragons. My friend just got the kit, and none of us have ever played it before! No idea what to expect, but I'm certain it will be awesome!
     
    The weekend may be free...however at some point I will need to pack, as I'm going to London next Monday through to Wednesday. It will be awesome!
     
    Quite why everything decided to happen this week I do not know, but who cares? It's fun!
     
    When I'm back from London I may be rendered comatose for a week due to so much activity. Sleep is good to. I look forward to it.
  7. Danska: Shadow Master
    Here in the UK, or more specifically in the city in which I live, we have what is called a Balloon Fiesta. That is, or was, an occasion where lots of balloons gather and are flown often in an attempt to advertise the company that owns or funds the balloon in question. It can be quite interesting seeing some of the shapes that appear. This year I noticed one in the shape of a fire extinguisher, and last year there was one shaped like a house. You get some strange balloons around.
     
    Of course, now that people have realised this is an occasion where lots of money could be made it has become more of a large, corperate fair which charges extortionate prices for the simplest of things and hardly lets you move without encounterting an easy opportunity to lose all your money on something. True, some of the attractions are quite good. The Waltzers and Dodgems are always fun (although dodgems are nowhere near as good as they used to be) and some of the food is alright I suppose, but it's still waaaaay too expensive. I was quite surprised, perhaps unrightly so, to find a 'cash van' in the area. This is a cashpoint on a van which charges £2.75 for every transaction. Sadly I had to make use of this.
     
    The space allocated for balloons must be only a third of that given for everything else, probably a lot less. For something with 'balloon' in the title there was a noticeable lack of them. I remember going when I was much younger and seeing balloons everywhere. You could go up and talk to the crews and everything. I remember being terrified by a balloon wandering around shaped like a green dragon.
     
    Despite all that, it still manages to be fun. I guess it helped that I was with friends, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Yes I may have spent too much money, but it didn't seem to matter at the time. There was even a tent up for EA where we got to try out the Spore Creature Creator. My friend made a dinosaur-like creature with two heads, a mace on its tail and four arms. It was awesome!
     
    There was also an XBox 360 simulator and a Nintendo tent advertising Wii Fit. I gave both of them a miss. The Playstation 3 was absent for some reason. Not that I care about the PS3. I think it's better they weren't trying to inflict it on the poor people there, to be honest.
     
    Thursday, the day I went, was the first day of the Fiesta. There's a good reason to go that day, as they have something called the 'night glow'. This is lots of balloons being inflated and 'lit' intermittently to music. As the name may suggest, this happens when it's dark. It looks great! I seem to remember it being better last year, however. I dunno. Nevermind that, it still looked awesome!
     
    The whole event was a lot of fun and I look forward to going again next year! I did bump into a couple of other friends there who mentioned the possibility of arranging a trip with people from school today, but given it's 4:40 in the afternoon already I don't see that happening. Not sure I'd go either, as it's not cheap. Sure I may have managed to get my friend to pay me the £80 he's owed me for months yesterday, but I'm also trying to save up for a laptop which, if you're as fussy about specs as I am, do not come cheap.
     
    On a final note, party rings taste goooood.
  8. Danska: Shadow Master
    Ok, so the title may well be a serious over-generalisation or exaggeration, whatever you wish to call it. I doubt anything could keep me away from toy shops indefinitely. But...I now have all the Bionicle sets I want this year. For months I've been intermittently visiting toy shops to see if they have the set I want, but now I have no reason too! It's...strange. It's become so much of a habit now. *sigh*
     
    Just have to wait until next year.
  9. Danska: Shadow Master
    I made a blog entry about the Mistika a while back. It was quite negative, I seem to recall. Now that I own the three Toa, I thought I should post an updated account of my opinions.
     
    I'm still not happy that these are the Nuva. The only set out of all the Toa who's stayed true to his colour scheme is Onua, and the only one who looks anything like his 2003 counterpart is Takanuva. I'm not going to talk about Takanuva, though. I've already done a review of him. Now, the Mistika feel pretty much like your average run-of-the-mill churned out Toa set - at least since 2006. Basic builds focusing on a Piraka/Inika torso, familiar limbs and a few slapped on parts. I'm also really dissapointed to see the projectile weapons become their main - and only - weapons. The tools are often the high point of the set, and one of the clinching reasons for buying Lewa was his incredible tool. I really love melee weapons (although I frequently complain to anyone who will listen about how hard they are to draw) and it's a shame to see them go. The Nynrah Ghostblasters really aren't an adequate substitute. I am quite impressed at how different each Toa's blaster looks, though. Tahu's looks like quite a simple one-handed blaster, Gali's looks more like a powerful two-handed weapon while Onua's looks like the biggest gun from the heavy weapons department. It's a nice touch, even if it is achieved using only one or two pieces. Nevertheless, their firing capabilities are poor compared to the Midak Skyblasters and the ammo keeps on falling out.
     
    Appearance wise, they look great. The bright silver adds a balance to the darker colours, although I find it dominates somewhat. A bit unfortunate, seeing as silver is not supposed to be their primary colour last I checked. Still, the result is satisfactory and they look very heroic. One frustrating point is the red and blue pins and rods. In the past, blue pins would blend in with the blue sets and strive to annihilate every other colour scheme possible. Now it has a parter, the red pin, which is even more devastating and is particularly effective against blue sets. Why, lego? Why? I mean pins is one thing, but sticking giant red fins and jets on a black set which already has three different colours in it? What are you thinking!?
     
    There are one or two variations in build, but nothing substantial. I wasn't expecting Gali's neck to connect the way it does - or Onua's, for that matter. I also...no, wait, that's about it for surprises. No, wait, I've got another one! The jets on Onua attach differently to how I might have expected, sticking out at an angle. Nice touch, I thought.
     
    Playing with them is quite fun, but the group just doesn't look like at team anymore. With the old Nuva you could tell they belonged to the same team as they followed the same colour scheme conventions and used the same body, armour legs etc. (but still managed to be unique, I might add). The six Nuva now look like random Toa thrown together from seperate corners of the universe with the odd similar feature strung on somewhere. Perhaps if they'd kept the grey as the secondary colour, or even better given the Phantoka silver, it might have worked. Still, the Mistika are a nice bunch of sets despite this.
     
    My main complaint is, as I've said before, their lack of similarity to the original Nuva. I cannot even begin to assosciate one with the other, which is quite frustrating. A pity, because I do like them. For further Inika/Piraka rehashes they're good and do the job very well, but they're also Inika/Piraka rehashes and so are hardly deserving of new group names.
     
    The Makuta, on the other hand, I adore completely. I didn't like them that much when I saw them, and didn't really like them until I had them out and built. Pictures really do not give an accurate impression of a set. Take Krika, for example. Initially I thought 'oh no, another annoying unposeable four-legged thing'. The four legged thing actually makes him more poseable, will you believe. He can stand perfectly upright unlike Vamprah, or he can be stretched out so far his body is horizontal. Either way, it looks awesome!
     
    The other two sets are great two. Bitil is the one I was most anticipating getting my hands on, although I'm still not sure why. No, no! I'm not saying he's bad! Quiet those misguided thoughts! Of all of them, Bitil is the most humanoid (well, he is humanoid) and still manages to be very tall despite having a short torso. He also uses a yellow colour not seen since 2003 on Jaller! I wasn't sure whether he used that colour or Keetorange when I saw the pics, but it's great to see an old colour return! He also has very interesting tools and a great way of attaching the wings, although I find it hard to think of them as wings.
     
    Gorast looks awesome and looks menacing in absolutely any pose you might put her in, but is the most awkward to play with. The short arms make posing them difficult, as does the attachment of the wings. It's a cool idea but one that, in the end, dissapoints when it comes to playability.
     
    All of them use a black Metru arm to attach the head to the torso, which in every instance except Krika allows considerably more poseability. Krika's more difficult because of how the head is attached and the huge spikey thing that stretches back over his head. You know what I mean, right? Anyway, I really like this setup. It's especially good for Bitil as it adds significantly to his height and allows the Makuta to go from tall, imposing masters of shadow to necks-bent-forward hissing monsters. Except Gorast. She's always going to be short.
     
    All in all the Mistika are a nice group of sets, although the Nuva feel nothing like the Nuva and I sometimes find it hard to imagine the three mutated monstrosities to be proud members of the Brotherhood, but who cares? They look awesome! In conclusion, Nuva quite good but not the Nuva, Makuta very nice indeed.
  10. Danska: Shadow Master
    arrows at a target!
     
    A couple of hours ago I returned from a short scout camp. It wasn't a camp really - more an activity weekend. Hardly a weekend, more an overnight kip with some activities thrown in. Well whatever it was, it was fun. I would, however, like to strangle all the scouts.
     
    I haven't done archery or abseiling in ages, so I really enjoyed doing them yesterday. The archery I surprised myself at by actually being good at it. Possibly because I was firing right handed instead of left handed, so could use my dominant eye (left handed right eyed. What can I do?) I've learnt to take time over my shots, and deliberately aim completely off until I've pulled the string back. Then I can start to aim properly, and am able to shoot the moment I have my target in sights. Seems to work.
     
    Most fun about the archery were the balloons. Yes, balloons. Four targets, four shooters each time, and we each got a balloon. I got the short straw both times, actually. My first balloon was smaller than the others, then the instructor decided to place my second right at the edge of the target. But guess what? I hit them both first try! After we'd all had a go at shooting two balloons (or, firing two rounds of three arrows at balloons) there were three balloons still on the targets (none of them mine, of course). We then took it in turns to fire a single arrow at a balloon. I missed the first time (because I was using a different bow of course), but my shot hit the very centre of the target! Talk about a way to miss! Then I got round to my second turn - surprising, considering there were eight of us - and of course, I hit the balloon. I've never been brilliant at archery before (although I don't think I was bad), so I came away very pleased with myself indeed!
     
    Then came the abseiling. For the first time ever, I had to tie my hair back! Gah! Stupid health and safety. Anyway, that was awesome. I have no trouble with heights me, and I've been abseiling for so many years leaning over the edge doesn't bother me. First time I did it, the prospect of letting go of the side, holding onto nothing but the rope and leaning back over a sheer drop, legs straight, until I was in a sitting position was not exactly a pleasant one. Nowadays I do it easy. It's almost become natural, and I've learnt to trust the rope as a support as much as I do the sides. I think climbing up the ladder was scarier! Not to mention the Metal Man glaring at us from the side of the tower...
     
    My greatest regret was the lack of campfire. We didn't want to carry a metal thing to have a fire in because they're heavy and very unpleasant to carry (especially the distance we had to), and the campfire circle was in a very bad state. Still, the camp was fun, and my nose is slightly sunburnt. That always happens...
     
    Now to get on with the masses of kit-related stuff I have to do.
  11. Danska: Shadow Master
    As some people may know, Iron Maiden have been touring recently. Yesterday they performed their only showing in the UK on the tour - and for at least two years - at Twickenham Rugby Stadium. I heard the number of people attending was around 87,000. Yes, I was among them!
     
    I've been trying to see them for about 3 years now, since they announced their tour in support of their most recent album (a different tour altogether from this one). Sadly I did not get the chance to see them, although I came close. Then last year they were playing at Download which, much to my displeasure, came right in the middle of my exams. Not a good time. Then this year I hear they're playing at Twickenham and it could be their last showing for a good while - well, I've got to go really, haven't I?
     
    I almost didn't, though. It was also the chosen date for a large family gathering - largest for many years - which, of course, I would be expected to attend. Fortunately I was able to wriggle out of this at least in part because I was supposed to be organising the Maiden trip and was the only person who knew everyone who was going in our little group. It's a shame I had to miss the event, but boy was it worth it!
     
    So, a three hour coach journey there and back. Six hours of travelling, arriving back here at two 2:00am. That, and the extortionate prices at the Stadium (£1.80 for a coke? £3.50 for a hot dog or a pint?), were the only bad points about the whole thing. I'm exhausted today and my neck aches, but it was all so, so worth it.
     
    Of course, there are always support bands. The first - Within Temptation - I was very impressed by. I arrived too late to see their entire showing, but what I saw was excellent. The second support band - Avenged Sevenfold - I was less impressed by. I'm not saying they're bad, I'm just not a fan of their style of music. Of course, both bands paled in comparison to Maiden.
     
    They arrived, as always, amidst fire, explosions and teams of pure awesomeness erupting from the stage. From that moment I left my seat and did not look back. They began with Aces High - an excellent song, although sadly not one with which I'm especially familiar with the lyrics. I must rectify that sometime. All of the songs they played with the exception of one from Fear of the Dark (yes, it was Fear of the Dark) came from their 80s albums. No complaints there! That's where most of their best stuff lies.
     
    Two hours of solid Maiden. How Bruce manages to leap around the stage to much at 50 I do not know! He also made some incredibly fast costume changes early on which still leave me slightly baffled, and the band managed to get through six or seven songs with no break inbetween - one of them being the 13 minute epic Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Both incredible and impressive - not to mention extremely enjoyable!
     
    I've heard it said that a lot of music tends not to sound so good when played live. This, however, cannot be applied to Maiden. They sound fantastic live - possibly even better than they do recorded. I guess the atmosphere might have something to do with that. I mean, it's a huge stadium filled with 87,000 Iron Maiden fans all chanting along to an incredibly powerful and influential metal band with 25+ years of experience under their belt who know how to please fans and, above all, to put on an outstanding show. Consdering this was their only showing in the UK, too, it really was something special.
     
    Of course, no Maiden show would be complete without an encore. I feel so sorry for the people who leave thinking the show is over. Upon their return they played two songs from what is, in my opinion, their best album to date Seventh Son of a Seventh Son - Moonchild and The Clairvoyant - as well as the fantastic song equal in strength to the mighty Fear of the Dark, Hallowed Be Thy Name. The fact that they played both songs at the concert (like they do every concert) was truly the icing on the cake. I utterly adore both of the songs, and being able to scream them out unselfconsciously among tens of thousands of other fans along to impeccable live performances by the band itself - only metres away - Wow. Just wow.
     
    I did indeed sing along to every song, and I'm glad no one could hear me. I'm sure my singing was atrocious. Still, that's hardly what matters is it? I expect most people there were in the same boat.
     
    All in all, that has to be one of the greatest experiences I've ever had. I was absolutely exhausted on the coach journey back, and my failed attempts to find a comfortable position to sleep may be the cause of my neck aching this mor- no, afternoon. I enjoyed every moment of it and that's what matters, and I would gladly do it again. So, so gladly.
  12. Danska: Shadow Master
    Yeah yeah. All you americans already have it. But here, Brawl has just been released! Naturally I was out first thing in the morning to grab a copy. No, seriously, I was. I mean, why not? It's not as if I'd be doing anything else important at that time.
     
    So um...yeah. It came out today. I've sorta managed to completed the Subspace Emissary already and unlock all the characters. Oh, I've also just completed the first 10 single-player event matches. I'm not obsessed, honest!
     
    The game is awesome! Considering the amount of time we had to wait it'd better be really. Still getting used to the transition from Melee. Everything seems a bit strange at the moment. No doubt Melee will start to seem strange soon after a few days playing Brawl. Heh heh.
     
    Favourite characters? So far...Ike and Meta Knight. Meta Knight cannot fail to look cool and is such a fun character to use. He can practically stay airborne an entire battle, and seeing anyone slicing an opponent apart with a sword while airborne at that speed has simply got to look awesome! Ike I like because I tend to prefer characters with swords (I like swords, me) and he's veeeeery powerful. If I'm going into something where I know I want a fast KO, he's my man.
     
    I've heard Wolf is good, however I haven't tried him yet. Will have to sometime. For now, I need sleep. It's been a hard day, after all!
  13. Danska: Shadow Master
    So. Long time since I last updated my kit hey? That's because it's been a horrible year in terms of work. There's always been something to keep me busy. Now, however, I am free! I'm also trying to do everything I can possibly think of before I update again, which being me is a lot. While I have released almost nothing over the past few months, I HAVE been doing things! All the necessary material exists for me to make the 2008 side views now, although not entirely sure how to fit it all in. Once I recieve a few more things from a certain website which I used to be able to mention even though it had forums but now can't for some reason which is extremely silly indeed, I shall have near enough every different bionicle piece ever made (not in every colour however). A couple of those I still need to draw, including the side-view Tryna. I have done all the other Mahri masks however. Oh yes, among the stuff are the Barraki heads I don't own, so I can draw them too. Any guesses where this is going? If you haven't guessed 2007 side views yet then...well, there are probably hundreds of reasons.
     
    ANYWAY, the title of this blog entry is 'previews'. Perhaps I should snip the 's' off - it sort of depends on your perspective really. I mean it's one item, but there are many things in it...I'll stop now and just show you, shall I?
     

     
    The Inika tools have been completely redrawn. They're a vast improvement over what was in their place - or I think so. Now, I'm off to finish putting together the 2008 side views.
  14. Danska: Shadow Master
    Steven Moffat is a genius. For those who don’t know who he is, he’s the guy who wrote Saturday’s episode of Doctor Who. He also wrote The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances, The Girl in the Fireplace and Blink. Not only that, he’s taking over as Executive Director in 2010! Goodbye Russell T. Davies! I won’t miss you.
     
    If you haven’t seen Saturday’s episode, STOP READING NOW! SPOILERS!
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    So many questions, so many mysteries. Unlike Blink, it isn’t the suspense that keeps me interested – it’s the feeling of “I have no idea what is going on here”. Let’s locate a few of these mysteries, shall we?
     
    The Doctor and Donna arrive in the biggest library in the universe. It’s deserted, but filled with carnivorous shadows. Why are the shadows there?
     
    The Doctor received a note on his psychic paper from River Song - someone he apparently met in his future – before that person arrives! How does that person know the Doctor’s help is needed? Also, who calls a person River Song?
     
    Strackman Lux – the man who’s family built or own the library. ‘Lux’ means ‘dark’. Coincidence?
     
    Everyone has been saved, but there are no survivors. How is this possible?
     
    The Data Ghosts and the Nodes seem inconspicuous and harmless, but I have my suspicions. Particularly about the Nodes.
     
    What is CAL?
     
    Who is the little girl? How can she see the library through security cameras, her TV, hear the phone ring from the library and fling books around with a remote from her own living room?
     
    Who is Doctor Moon? Notice his name is Moon, which appears at night. It’s dark at night, isn’t it? Coincidence?
     
    Her world is not real, apparently. Then, is she real? Is her dad or Doctor Moon real?
     
    All this in one episode! Staggering. Now, I believe I can answer a couple of the simpler ones.
     
    Saved. This doesn’t just mean rescued. Ever saved data on your computer? That’s what I believe it means – saved to the system. That’s how the Node could access Donna’s face, because her data is on the system.
     
    The little girl. Maybe she is CAL? The human brain is supposedly more powerful than the most powerful super computer. I have one or two theories that go further, but nothing I’m certain about.
     
    And that’s all I can answer. The rest is a mystery to me. Well done Steven Moffat! I honestly cannot wait for next week’s episode!
     
    Unfortunately that is followed by FOUR episodes written by Russell T. Davies. Ugh. After so many good episodes, I guess something has to drag the series down to its usual abysmal standard.
  15. Danska: Shadow Master
    Yes! This is the 42nd entry in my blog! As most people know, 42 is a very special number. It is the answer to life, the universe and everything! Admittedly both the question and answer have been placed in dispute, but that's hardly the point now is it?
     
    Nothing much more to say here.
  16. Danska: Shadow Master
    Rejoice, for the title is roughly 1/3rd related to this blog entry! As to which third, I'll give you a clue: it's not the second or third parts.
     
    Yeah. Another entry about life. I was planning to post another semi-essay-type thing on Bionicle and which years I thought were good/bad and why etc. but I really can't be bothered. Sound lazy? Well, maybe it is. I've never claimed that I'm not lazy. But I'd argue that it has more to do with it being sweltetingly hot and me having a cold. Bad combination if ever there was one. Might skip Scouts tonight. The idea of charging round a field after people is not a pleasant thought right now.
     
    This period of time is my break between Coursework and exams. I should be revising - and I fully intend to - but then, I fully intend to every year. Really need to for some of my exams though.
     
    But what is happening? Yes, brain. Tell me! Well, yeste - no, not yesterday. A few days ago I ordered two books about vampires, Bionicle Legends 9 and a USB Stick from Amazon. It was shipped yesterday. That's why I thought of yesterday. I'm hoping that will arrive soon.
     
    After exams, which last exactly a month (start May 19th end June 19th) I have much to look forward to. June 27th they FINALLY release Brawl over here! Like I haven't waited long enough! So that will no doubt be the beginning of an addiction. Then, on July 5th, IRON MAIDEN! LIVE! I still can't believe I'm actually seeing them! It's gonna be so awesome!!!
     
    I'm also supposed to be going on two - no, three - holidays. One's a week-long camping trip at the end of July which has yet to be organised (grrr). The second is a Scout Camp from the 4th-8th August at a local Scout activity place-type thingy which is mostly fields but with cool stuff like an assault course as well, which should be fun. Then on the 24th-28th August I'm supposed to be going to London with some friends! Hooray!
     
    There's also a chance a friend of mine who lives near London will be coming to visit. I really hope so. Haven't seen her since last February.
     
    Now, that's the good stuff which I'm hoping will keep me sane during the exam period. The thought of Brawl or IRON MAIDEN on their own should be enough for that! Together with everything else...the exams would have to be REALLY bad.
     
    Now, back to being ill. Bye!
  17. Danska: Shadow Master
    It's been years since I last took to the BZP writing field. Can't remember which of the things listed to the right I wrote last. One of them, anyway.
     
    This was originally written for a short story contest on an unmentionable site due to advertising rules ( ), however I sliiiiightly overran the deadline. By at least a month. See? I can stick to deadlines! Honest!
     
    My intention was to write a story showing a Makuta in full force, using their incredible range of abilities in ways only a Makuta can. Unfortunately, I failed miserably as there is no incredible Makuta power usage in this story. It's not even the story I'd originally planned to write - not at all - but it's still good. Well, in my opinion. But I would say that, wouldn't I?
     
    Oh, it's also very long. Could have been much longer too, if I hadn't decided to cut it short and turn the rest into a second story. What can I say? I enjoy writing.
     
    If there's even a single soul reading this, look out for the story very soon! Still a few things I want to go through and smooth out, but it's just about presentable.
     
    Infact, because I'm feeling nice, I'll give you the story's name and a short, action-packed extract that gives absolutely no plot away. Just how extracts should be, hey?
     
    Kora Nui: The Break In
     
    "...the wall on the far side of the room exploded. The two Toa jumped and stared in horror as a horde of Visorak scurried into the room, pincers snapping in anticipation of a new meal.
     
    Loral leapt to her feet, desperately trying to formulate a strategy to defeat such large numbers. There were options, but nothing that wouldn’t totally exhaust her came to mind. Then, as she was reminded by a Rhotuka flying past, came the problem of surviving.
     
    Feryan was bringing all his experience into play. Of all the Toa, he was the most comfortable against larger numbers. He was highly skilled in wide-ranging elemental effects, as he demonstrated now. From a high vantage point he drew all the air away from a particularly large group, sending them into utter panic as they found themselves unable to breathe. Narrowly dodging a hail of Rhotuka from his right he targeted the attacking group and unleashed all the air he had taken in a massive concussion blast. Those Visorak that weren’t crushed were sent spiralling across the room, causing general chaos amidst the horde.
     
    Loral found herself in an uncomfortable position. Having at first succeeded in driving back the spiders with waves of water, she had suddenly found herself surrounded. It seemed some of the spiders had scaled the walls and dropped down from the ceiling behind her. Every time she tried to make an opening more spiders appeared, and she was finding it harder to dodge and block so many Rhotuka. Her mask of intangibility was proving useful, but such frequent use only drained her further.
     
    The spiders were coming closer. She unleashed a torrent of water, trying again to make her escape, only to be rewarded by a Rhotuka in the back..."
     
    But what happens next!? Yes, I know it's a very short extract, but I don't want to give too much away now do I?
  18. Danska: Shadow Master
    No, not really, but it's fun to think that.
     
    Some people may have noticed the complete lack of kit updates, blog entries and other such stuff-type stuffs. There are most certainly reasons.
     
    Those reasons are primarily coursework.
     
    For anyone who doesn't know what that is (anyone?), it's a very large and nasty piece of work that usually gets set near the beginning of the year and you have to go off and do it. Sure, you get lesson time for it, but a lot has to be done at home. Some subjects, like Philosophy, have extended essays that you must then reproduce under exam conditions with 1000 words of notes having painstakingly perfected and polished it to perfection. Others, like science, require you to do a practical investigation into something and do a write-up. Well, I think it does. I've stayed as far away from science as I can, so who knows?
     
    This year I have had philosophy, english and two pieces of computing to do. The Philosophy had the earliest deadline and, being an essay in exam conditions, wasn't really negotiable. That took a lot of my time up before the Easter Holidays.
     
    English was supposed to be in before the holidays, but I handed it in on Friday.
     
    Then there's Computing. Two projects because the exam board gave us all U grades last year for our coursework, so we're having to redo it. Two pieces which are meant to take a year each...in one year. FUN!
     
    Except it's even worse! Given as we have close to no guidence on the second one and very little on the first, it has proven...difficult. Final deadline is tommorow...no, wait, today. I started the first one ages ago, but didn't make a proper attempt, really, until Thursday. I think I'd made my database by then, but the write-up left much to be desired...
     
    I finished that on Friday. I didn't start the second piece until yesterday...I mean Saturday. Half a year to do a year's work in? Nope! How about two days?
     
    But guess what? I DID IT! Somehow I managed to complete all that in TWO DAYS! It's printing out right now and I'm feeling very pleased with myself. Inbetween feeling utterly exhausted because I've been working solidly for four days and it's four in the morning.
     
    A lot of fours, aren't there? Strange...
     
    So, yes. COURSEWORK IS COMPLETE AT LAST! Now I just have exams in May to worry about then Uni to...
     
    *sigh* It doesn't get any better, does it?
     
    *snore*
  19. Danska: Shadow Master
    Over the last week or so I've been semi-absent. Haven't said a thing in my kit topic, hardly replied to any PMs...have posted here and there but not that much, so what have I been doing?
     
    Well on the kit front, I have been working on stuff...slowly. The next update will involve every kit, so...it's big. There are various aspects in all of them which I'm dissatisfied with, so I'm fixing them as well as adding in a few new things.
     
    In terms of real life, I've been fairly busy. Have tons of work to do which is still lingering, and of course it's half-term which is the perfect time to be going out doing things with people. Bowling's fun! Can't seem to rise about third place though...
     
    I've also completed Super Smash Bros. Melee! All Target Tests completed, over 400m on the Home Run Contest, done the 15 Minute Melee, unlocked all characters and completed every event match! About time, too! Some of those event matches are painfully hard, particularly the Space Travellers one. This forces you to play as Ness - a very tricky (and in my opinion weak) character - and you have five opponents to beat of increasing difficulty. The first three are on one stage, then the stage changes for the last two. Don't like either stage, but particularly not the second. Samus and Kirby are the first two opponents and are quite easy to kill. Fox is a bit tougher, but I don't think there's any question of failing to beat him - the trick is to do it without racking up too much damage for the next two battles. Fourth battle is Captain Falcon who's very fast and annoying, and if he doesn't kill you there's Falco to contend with who's even faster and annoyinger (I don't care if it's not a word. It is now)!
     
    The final event match was easy by comparison. Completed it second or third time. Then, I was using Jigglypuff and spamming his/her/its rest move...
     
    Now with that out of the way, I have less excuse not to do my computing coursework. Hooray...
  20. Danska: Shadow Master
    Alrighty then! It's the weekend! The time to sit around doing not very much.
     
    No, wait, that's my life generally. Hmm, let's start this again...
     
    Ok! As it's the weekend and I recieved a request from my readers to review Lewa, here it is! The original spirit of air, ruler of the skies and prankmeister himself in a glorious new wrapper!
     
    Once again I'm going to ignore the canister. It's the same as Antroz's except green, and there's really nothing about it which can't be ascertained through sight. If you're really interested in the lowdown of the canister, there are hundreds of images on the web, or you can go to your local store and peer at it yourself. That's if you don't have one already, which I sincerely hope you do!
     
    Ahem, yes. So, what do we get? Pieces, that's what! No set is complete, or indeed anything, without pieces!
     
    Parts

     
    A jumble of lime, bley and silver confronts you as the contents are tipped out into the conveniently placed Kardas box which is so perfect for building sets in. You may have noticed a bit of blue peeking through. The three length friction pins join the now highly limited club of mata blue pieces and the ever-growing club of colour-scheme wrecking pieces. Delighful, to be sure. These, in addition to the red friction pins and blue...whatever they're called...all appear in the set. Hooray!
     
    But this set is not composed solely of rods and pins (thankfully). There's far more to be explored! Notice, for example, that there's an enormous total of FIVE new molds in this set!
     

     
    That's so many it could never possibly be beaten by, say, a Matoran! No no, that would never happen...
     
    I do like all of the new molds. The new strengthened joints are really nice, and I'm sure the Matoran connection piece thingy will have many uses. The jetpacks are wonderful things. Quite simple designs which are nicely curved and really can't be mistaken for anything else, although I'm sure MOCers can find other uses for them.
     
    As with any Toa, the most noteable pieces are the mask and tool. I think both are wonderful! The weapon is like a larger, heavily upgraded version of his old Katana and is wonderfully detailed. It reminds me quite strongly of the Inika weapons. It's very big, has a large base and a hole going through the middle. Instead of a light-up feature it has lightning travelling up it - and of course the Inika are famous for having lightning abilities. Perhaps it was a dropped prototype, although why anyone would want to drop something so artful or cool looking I do not know. This set is almost worth it just for the weapon!
     
    The mask looks great, too! Unlike recent masks, the set designers seem not to have felt the need to go into complexity overdrive. No, it is relatively simple and sweeps back nicely. Just...don't use it without the blue visor. It doesn't look right at all!
     
    So, this is the Toa of Air! His primary colour is green - right? You'd think it would be, wouldn't you? Let's have a look at the green to bley colour ratio.
     

     
    Um...yes. Green. Primary colour. Right. I mean, you can practically build a Toa just with the bley! What is up with that?
     
    My final note on pieces must be to mention the Midak Skyblaster. I LOVE that weapon! It fires beautifully. Quick, accurate, good distance and can hold multiple ammo! Looks pretty neat too. The pattern on the black part...I'm not sure what it is about that, but I absolutely adore it!
     
    Building

     
    Ever built an Inika? How about a Mahri? Getting fed up with that ol' torso? Not to worry!
     
    Oh, wait...
     
    Yup! It's an Inika torso, with Inika armour, Inika limbs and basically just Inika all round. How...exciting. Snapping the pieces together takes no time at all, and is exactly the same as basically every other set released over the past two years. The only new additions are the jetpacks, which consist of slapping two pieces together and sticking them into the back of his arms and the Matoran holder thing. Is there really much more to say?
     
    Playing with the set

     
    Truth be told, he's quite a fun critter to play with. Very poseable, as all sets are these days, and the Midak Skyblaster could provide me with hours of entertainment! The jetpacks don't really inspire a 'flying' feel with the set, possibly because the entirety of the rest of the design is that of a land-based set, but it is fun making him zoom over things blasting them with light spheres. Helpful in this is his head's ability to bend all the way back, as nearly demonstrated here.
     

     
    As always, his back has been mostly ignored and the Matoran holder sticks out like a sore thumb. The Inika armour also looks bizarre overlapping an upper arm with no armour, and I'm really not keen on the setup.
     

     
    Fortunately, it's easy to fix! Simply switch the lower arms and legs round, and all will be well! Looks better that way IMO.
     

    This feels wierd...
     
    This time around, I do have the set's Matoran counterpart!
     

    "Hi, small...person..."
     
    They look quite good together, what with their colour schemes being the same, their masks being similar and their weapons complimenting each other so well. Do you think lego went a bit overboard with th - uh oh...
     

    "GIVE ME BACK THOSE KATANAS!"
     
    Eventually, Tanma explained that they weren't actually Lewa's katanas, and the two were getting on fine! They even agreed to demonstrate the piggyback feature for you all!
     

    "So...heavy..."
     
    Yes, well, Tanma's enjoying it.
     
    As a set, he's very vibrant. The lime managed to overcome the excessive bley dullness and make the set look quite visually appealing. I definitely prefer lime to previous year's Metru green, which was so dark bley was almost sunny by comparison! Although he lacks gears, I think he's an improvement playability wise over the old Lewa. At least you don't have to take his head off and reattach it to make him fly!
     

    "So I'm now taller than you, have a bigger weapon than you, can shoot people with my launcher, have a non-ugly mask, can fly without wasting elemental or mask powers and I have bendable knees and elbows. And what do you have?"
     
    Yes alright Lewa, there's no need to gloat.
     
    Overall
    "Hey, where's the cool picture?"
     
    This guy has plenty of recoloured parts, but not many new ones. Of the new parts, only two are currently exclusive to this set. His construction is also very, very simple and the overpowering amount of bley is a serious downside.
     
    Nevertheless, the Inika formula does allow for very playable sets. There's enough poseability to stick them in almost any pose you like, and plenty of things can be added on to the set. Despite various 'problems' I think Lewa is, as a set, very cool indeed. Greater than the sum of his parts, you could say. The weapon is extraordinarily cool, and the Midak blaster is so awesome! The additional playability angles are good too - gotta love watching him soar through the sky with a Matoran on his back!
     
    He's very different to his previous Mata/Nuva counterparts.
     

    Spot the odd one out!
     
    My rating of Antroz wasn't very clear if you hadn't read the entire review, so I'm gonna make this one a bit easier to spot.
     
    Parts: 5/10
    Building: 6/10
    Playability: 9/10
    Overall: 7/10
     
    And now, for some fun! Lewa's decided that, with Tanma's help, he can't possibly lose against Antroz!
     

     
    Antroz, however, has other ideas!
     

    Note: The special effects team was on strike!
     
    RUN LITTLE MATORAN, RUN!!!
     

     
    Never turn your back on a foe!
     

     
    Unfortunately Antroz got away, but I'm sure there'll be other battles.
     
     
    Wow, long review. Dunno whether I can muster the energy to do another one! I don't really want to fill my blog with reviews, after all. There's the Official Review Topic for that, and plenty of reviews turn up in the BZP news anyway.
  21. Danska: Shadow Master
    Ah, yes. The good old days of bionicle. The days where we had a huge, diverse land to explore. The days of good collectables that were not designed solely to be fired across a room and lost. The days where the story could be followed without reading tons of extra material and without being needlessly cluttered with superfluous organisations and locations. Weren't they great? Who wouldn't want to return to them?
     
    Well I sure wouldn't. I also know it will never be possible. Ever. Nothing lego does can possibly recreate the feel of bionicle back then. At least, not for me. I expect you've heard similar sentiments across the forums at one time or another, but no doubt these were followed by other statements along the lines of 'Bionicle is so bad! Why can't we go back to Mata Nui!?"
     
    Time to break the trend!
     
    The idea behind this entry actually came from vague musings about time. Yup, time. That sort of thing does meander through the twisting realms of surreality that encompass the bizarre world of what is often referred to as my mind (or lack thereof - but that's another story).
     
    There are three different ways of looking at things. The first is to look to the past. The second is to look to the future. The third is - any guesses people? - yup! It's to look at the present. If you guessed correctly, have a cookie!
     
    What, you expect me to supply the cookie!? Tough! Get your own!
     
    Now, where was I? Oh yes, time! Now, of those three things, it is the latter, looking at the present, that tends to be the least rewarding. Our view of the past tends to be skewed. Good things seem much better than they were at the time. When thinking about the future, we tend to view things as ending up a complete disaster or a bright, wondrous future (often by trying to manipulate the present to do so). But the present...weeeell, we're stuck that really. Not much we can do about it, so people's views tend to be a tad more realistic, even pessimistic (although those two words should not be used interchangeably. I've learnt that lesson.)
     
    So, back to bionicle then! When we look at Bionicle's past we see something bright and glorious. We were younger then, and bionicle was new to us. There was far more mystery and excitement, and the sets were bright and revolutionary. To an extent, this is very definitely the truth. I would question anyone who says, for all they liked bionicle back then, that it was as good as they remember it. There were always problems. Things I disliked were the double gear system in Onua and Gali, or the incredibly unexciting gold masks that were really more like bronze. I was so excited when I saw the advert in the comic showing that shining gold mask...only to be dissapointed.
     
    They didn't do everything right back then, because then it would have been perfect and I honestly don't believe anything ever can be perfect. If it had been perfect, why would they ever have changed it?
     
    Perfection is subjective. This is why nothing can ever be perfect, because two people's views of perfection will be radically different. As Lego's fanbase changed, so bionicle had to change with them so new fans may too experience the magical feeling older fans like myself did in the early days. This change will of course start to alienate older fans, who will like bionicle for what it was. No collectables? How can you have bionicle with no collectables? They're a fundamental part of bionicle! They're it's core! It's a preposterous idea!
     
    But then a newer fan would question why you want collectables in the first place. What do you do with them? Sit them on your shelf and let them collect dust? Surely if you can't use them, that makes them useless? And...Matoran? What use are they except as a minor sideshow to the Toa? They're the main characters! You can't have something that doesn't focus on the Toa!
     
    I clearly remember Mata Nui, and how exciting it was to explore this place and uncover its many, many secrets. Each chapter of the MNOG brought with it something exciting and new, every venture into the darkness of the island expanded on the epic setting and gave it evem greater life. I loved this! I know many people on here also enjoyed this type of storytelling - the feeling of exploration and discovery. Settings after that began to slowly lose the mystic feeling and become increasingly less explorable. Voya Nui was mostly barren, and Karda Nui has nothing in it except a few isolated villages, stalectites and a swamp. Bionicle has travelled a long way from its roots.
     
    I can see perfectly why people dislike this change. I can also see that continuing the 'new, diverse setting with many things to explore and uncover' type of story would begin to grate. If we spent every year exploring in a similar way to the first years, people would be screaming for something new! I also doubt that newer fans would be as interested, as their interest appears to lie with battles and fighting.
     
    The sets themselves have changed lots too. Gone is the technic feel of the Rahi or the Exo-Toa, replaced by excessive poseability and large weapons. Now I don't know about other people, but I was a bit dissapointed to find that the Metru sported yet another 'turn gear move arm' system. Infact, I wasn't even interested in the gears, I just enjoyed the sets having a function. The Bohrok remain for me the greatest achievement in functionality to date. They could launch krana, snap their heads forward and roll up into a ball and get stuck inside their canisters. These functions are great and give added life to a set, but they can be pain to build. For all their glory, the Rahkshi can be a pain to put together (although from my perspective this is good).
     
    If you're not used to snapping together lego, let alone technic sets, are you really going to want to sit down for ages trying to hold gears in place as you stick rods through them? If you've bought a bionicle set from this perspective, chances are you want it built. Now. The construction process is not as important as playing with the set. Now whatever you prefer, it is people with that attitude who make up the majority of the fanbase. So what's lego to do? Alienate most of its fans to appease us and keep with tradition, or listen to its fans at the risk of upsetting a few older fans who don't provide that much in the way of revenue anyway?
     
    If they want to stay in business and let lego continue, they have to choose the second option. There's no other way to do it. If sets aren't bringing in money, what can lego do? They can't simply wave a magic wand and pop six more sets into existance for the next wave. These things cost money, and if there's no money there's no way to make more sets. It's like being handed an empty canister and being told to build Tahu. It's impossible. The sets can be as creative as they like but the bottom line is, if all they do is sit on a shelf looking pretty, they're a complete waste of time.
     
    Now, say lego suddenly found out that their fanbase did want an exploration-driven story. They did want complex set designs and they did want collectables. Great! The new year comes round, the sets are unveiled...
     
    There's a collective gasp from BZP as they witness the horror that is these new sets. Their functions are 'poor imitations' of the sets we all know and love. The setting, for all its mystery can 'never be as good as Mata Nui' and the collectables? 'We don't want this junk!' Shouts BZP. 'Bring back proper masks! Bring back something worth collecting!'
     
    Nothing will ever be as good as 2001-2003 because they won't be 2001-2003. It's that simple. What you consider to be the golden years of bionicle are only so because you made them so inside your own mind. It's the nostalgia and the memories that have grown over the years which make those early years seem so much better than anything since. It's also age and a divergance from the currently held views of fans that make bionicle seem to slide downwards every year. In reality, just as much imagination and creativity is going into it. Yes it's changed, but so have its original fans. They've both slid slightly in different directions, and so what may only have been a minor change suddenly becomes insurmountably huge, because both sides have drifted apart from one another.
     
    Every story is what the fans make it. What seems like a great piece of storytelling to one person could be utter rubbish to the next. While many people find bionicle these days to be dissapointing at best, I would say it is only dissapointing to them, and there is nothing fundamentally wrong with the bionicle line. No matter what happens, it will never be what it was because much of what it was is inside our own heads and subject to our tastes and perceptions.
     
    On the other hand, I could be talking utter rubbish. Who knows?
  22. Danska: Shadow Master
    I have Lewa Newva! Not entirely sure what inspired me to get him, but have him I do and I'm actually glad!
     
    I don't really think of him as Lewa. I may make up an alternate personality/identity for him at some point and fit him into something somewhere, but what matters is the set. From my perspective, having bought very very few sets in the last two years, he has plenty of new pieces! The new-style joints, the feet, the blade, the mask, the blue visor, the eyes, the Matoran connection piece...awesomeness! Oh yeah, not forgetting the jets. But best of all, the Midak Skyblaster!
     
    It is fantastic! I've only tried it once, but...WOW! The za...sorry, Midaks are extremely satisfying to put in, clicking nicely into place. I wasn't expecting it at first, and daren't put too much pressure on lest I break it. Lol! Foolishness indeed!
     
    Out of all the launchers I've encountered, it's the easiest and most satisfying of them all to fire. The pressure required to launch them really makes it fun, and they fire equivilantly fast and far to reward the effort. I was quite shocked when it bounced noisily off my study door. Really was not expecting it to reach that!
     
    I'm soooooo tempted to replace some of Lewa's grey with dark green. A pity I don't have enough dark green pieces.
     
    Anyway, that's all I have to say today! Nothing but general praising of the midak skyblasters. A far cry (still need to play that game) away from my normal, painfully long entry type. I'm sure I'll manage to ressurect it by my next entry, so don't worry.
  23. Danska: Shadow Master
    But wait, this entry could be about...real life!?
     
    No way!
     
    Yes, it is true. I am actually posting something about real life, having not to my knowledge done so since restarting this blog.
     
    I attend a Sixth Form college and am in my second (and final) year there. I study computing, english language, philosophy (who would have guessed?) and critical thinking. The latter's a slightly odd one as it's not offered until Year 13 (second year). It's only offered as an AS for most people (2 years, 2 qualifications - AS and A2, which combine to make a full A level) but I opted to do an accelerated course and am doing the full A level in one year. Thankfully there's 1/3rd fewer modules than in other subjects and less than half the number of lessons (only a third of the lessons at AS), so it's hardly strenuous. Also, no coursework OR homework! Me likes!
     
    But why oh why must the tradition of parents evening be continued!?
     
    It really doesn't achieve anything. The teachers have nothing of any particular use or interest to say, parents ask annoying questions and then delight in pointing out exactly what I should be doing to make everything go right. I'm sure it's a conspiracy!
     
    Still, it wasn't too bad. My computing teacher says I need to work more and not play so many internet games (she may have a point there...), one of my english teachers thinks I'm doing well and thinks the coursework I handed in was very good. Strange, as I thought it was terrible, but oh well. My other english teacher agrees with my computing teacher and thinks I need to do more work - well, ok, some work - but my philosophy teachers love me (does my previous blog entry show you why?).
     
    This year's bad enough without parents evening. I have too much coursework by far, university application stuff to sort out, just finished exams with another (huge) set to come may/june time and I'm finding computing especially quite difficult. I'll also be shocked if I managed to pass my english editorial writing paper. But there's no corrolation between that and the amount of work I do, surely? That would be a ridiculous idea...
     
    Gargh.
     
    There, then, is a brief insight into the academic (and least exciting) part of my life. I will leave it there, as I've posted enough huge entries for the time being. Do you know that my last entry almost reached 2000 words? I've written essays shorter than that!
  24. Danska: Shadow Master
    Well, I am shocked. Possibly more surprised, but saying shocked sounds more shocking and is thusly more appealing to most audiences. Except I've now revealed that so it won't work again...


    See? I am intelligent!


    Penguin is pleased.


    I might have to take that as a challenge! Perhaps I shall write a suitably long entry next time about my TV remote. Would that be fun?

    Yup, I'm in a slightly weird, happy and excitable mood. Or so my mood tells me. I guess I should believe it, but I can never quite be certain whether it's telling the truth or not...

    Hmm, perhaps my next entry should be philisophical. Yeeeess, I haven't really said anything about philosophy. It's high time I confused a few people, after all. Heh heh heh.

    And yes, this entry was purely an excuse to find somewhere to put that banner. I wouldn't want to lose it now, would I? Oh yes, and thanks for
  25. Danska: Shadow Master
    As I must depart for a tiresome family gathering on monday, I have made it my mission to try and complete all 3 Makuta before that date so that I may release them. Progress is going well - I completed Antroz some time ago and posted him in my kit topic (albeit not all that obviously). I am now pleased to announce the completion of the freakish, mostly-legless Vamprah!
     

     
    For one so small, he presented me with the most complex single-character kit I've ever made. Still, I think he came out alright.
     
    Just one more to go! With any luck, that won't take me too long.
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