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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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Project Nuva lives again! Oddly, in the weekend before APs, but... (click for the full image, of course) Most of it is explained in the picture, except for one thing: the red lightsaber beams. I would have much preferred ice blue, personally, since it completes the icy look, but apparently red is needed to add a flare of color to the neutral scheme. And since he did have one red eye and one blue in MoL, I'm okay with it. What do you think? ~ ToM
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Umbra....probably one of the wierdest sets...I wonder...if the colors were beter...and I threw in some good ol' BD style...
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I have been sorting my pieces in colours. Didn't know I had that much brown. -Saoerann
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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?
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Enter the Powerpoint Face Contest by May 15! Today the Bones Blog brings you a short interview with Greg Farshtey on the subject of focus groups, an often-misunderstood concept lately. What are the facts? Bold is for important points. Blue is me, black is Greg. The Q&A bonesiii: I've noticed lately that one of the cookie-cutter arguments complainers are using has been the anti-focus groups one. [someone] just claimed in a topic for example that focus groups just like whatever LEGO throws at them in thanks for being chosen. He also said younger fans buy "anything". GregF: That is a very common misconception of people who have never attended a focus group. Trust me -- I attended the initial groups we did for Dino Attack when the theme was just going to be hunting and trapping dinos -- beautiful sets, and the kids hated every one of them. They wanted the heroes to be attacking the dinos, so they got redone as more aggressive sets and sold great. Same with BIONICLE -- the kids are forced to make choices in these groups, of which sets of the group they like best and why. These are professionally run groups, managed by market research professionals outside of LEGO Company, so a kid who just says, "I like everything!" won't be allowed to get away with that answer. bonesiii: Why are focus groups important? GregF: Focus groups are important because, with any product, you need to gauge reactions from your primary audience. This is why movie studios do previews and have people fill out comment cards .... this is why TV producers have people watch their shows and turn a dial up or down when they like something or they don't. Every manufactuer just about uses some form of focus group or focus testing, whether they do it themselves or they hire an outside firm to do it. And all those BIONICLE sets everyone on here loved in 2001 and 2002 all came out of focus groups too. bonesiii: What's the basic process of choosing focus group members? GregF: LEGO contacts our market research firm, tells them what we want to test, how many sessions we want, how many kids in what age range, and what level of enthusiasm we want them to have for the line (heavy users, medium users, light users, and sometimes even rejecters, though not often). They then recruit the kids, so we have nothing to do with the selections directly. They also conduct the groups and present a debrief when they're done, we just observe from another room. bonesiii: How important are their reactions to the final product compared to other things like past sales or just set designer's instincts or whatnot? GregF: Designer instincts and past sales tend to go into the initial design phase. And they do play a part in that you don't automatically change everything you hear a criticism about -- some things have to stay the same for manufacturing reasons, etc. Also, you pay more attention to comments you hear from multiple groups, not just comments from one or two. If you have, say, 8 or 12 sessions over three days (which is common) with different groups of kids each time, and they all pick the same option or they all hate the same thing, you have to pay attention to that. bonesiii: Do they like "anything"? It would be pointless to bother with them if they just liked everything, right? GregF: You're right, it would be pointless. But that's not the case. It's pretty easy to spot kids who aren't really into it or aren't thinking about their feedback, and less weight is given to their comments. Most of these kids take their job very seriously and they get pressed to defend their comments. If they like something, or they dislike something, they have to say why. If they think something could be better, they have to say how it could be better. The difference between a focus group and an online forum is that focus groups are pushed to be as constructive as possible in their comments, where online posters can just say, "That stinks!" and no more. Because of that, we get a lot more valuable feedback from the groups. I would also add that focus groups are not just used for sets -- they are also used for TV ads, magazine redesigns, online and offline game testing, etc. Are focus groups infallible? No, they're not. But what I see when I see people screaming about them is that they are basically saying, "They should listen to me and not them" -- in other words, the complainers don't object to focus groups, they just want to BE the focus group. My Thoughts In my observation, this is more of a "grasping at straws" tactic that some complainers have started using. Some of it might be taste discrimination; implying that the focus groups and thus the tastes of most fans are somehow inferior to the complainer in question, or it might simply be an assumption that the focus groups aren't accurate. If it's taste discrimination, I've already addressed this fallacious, but somewhat understandable mistake here: Taste Discrimination Fallacy, Equality of Taste. If it's a question of accuracy, there's some huge problems with that. 1) Complainers don't have magical access to what the majority wants anymore than anybody else. Just because we might wish we were the focus group doesn't mean our tastes would be more accurate to the majority. In fact the opposite is often true; online fans are often very different from most fans, in any franchise. 2) Random sampling is a proven technique for accurate polling in all areas, including political polling and in fact any kind you can think of. Naturally, the majority will most often be the ones picked. 3) Many of the trends in focus group opinions were represented vocally on BZPower before several problems were fixed. Gear unpopularity, and more "violence/darkness" come to mind. The latter fits Greg's example from Dino Attack too -- so before the problem was fixed, the "complainers" basically were the same taste-group as the focus groups. 4) LEGO uses an independant firm, and the system inherently requires intelligent responses. It's not the simplistic "LEGO shows a few kids the prototypes and they all say 'I likey!'" that complainers seem to have in mind. 5) Most importantly, as LEGO has improved sets more and more, listening to focus groups included, sales have gone up. Either way, I've seen the argument come up seemingly because almost all other illogical complaints have been so thoroughly debunked, while this one hasn't. Those using it display an almost shocking ignorance of what focus groups are exactly and how they work -- ignorance is not necessarily something to be ashamed of, but if you're going to propose that something is a problem, you should be familiar with its details. Yet those using it seemingly have made no effort to find out, so it seems more like a convenient excuse to keep complaining. Hopefully, this entry will help clear up such confusion. Ultimately, the important lesson is that NO illogical argument should be used to say "I don't like this; LEGO shouldn't have done it." We're all free to dislike sets, but that's a matter of taste, not a matter of what LEGO actually should do. Just because you don't enjoy something doesn't mean it's a "problem" -- because you're not the only fan. Instead, we should seperate our personal tastes from our opinions about what LEGO should do. So if focus groups' tastes tend to be different from yours, you should be mature enough to say "I wish focus groups and most fans shared my tastes, but this is reality and I can deal with it. I agree LEGO should pay attention to focus group results." Now, if you can show some problem with focus groups that none of us have thought of, by all means, let's hear it. Otherwise, that argument ain't gonna fly no mo'. Calling all artists! Enter by May 15th!
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I went to the Lego Store yesterday, and I picked up the Toa Terrain Crawler for $35. It's a pretty sweet set. I'm glad I got it. It has some interesting pieces that I might use. I really like the minifigs, though. I don't know why, but I do. Now I just need to get the Arachnoid Stalker, and I'll be set (Haha... punz....) until summer. Check out my contest below. -K-
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What element could that be? -Saoerann
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I think I know what handicapped them (or at least have a good guess), but I'm not telling until I have more evidence. So for now:
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*Hey Contest winners from the Mini Moc Contest! I need to know what you want in your content blocks* *Also winners of the first contest, I need another description of your self-MOC* *Winners of my Epic contest, your MOCs are not forgotten* * I still will reply in BBCC topics* Experimentation on new MOC designs have begun. Expect less humanoids, and more animalistic MOCs. I'm actually quite pleased with some of them. It has been fun to work with new pieces, and more vibrant colors at that. If you haven't noticed... I use mainly black pieces. Also, I have found that a certain canceled toyline has a wonderfull assortment of fun names for MOCs. Of course, there changed slightly for ™ purposes. Dune Scourage will probably be my first non-humanoid MOC.
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First, I was like what in the world is he talking about. Then, I thought he may have been talking about this link Zyrox gave me after I posted my entry: Here. I actually had never seen his MOC untill he showed me. After looking at the his actuall brickhelf, I found this: Here I guess he thinks I copied it from him, even though I didn't. Even at that, his has some eye thing on the bottom. But still, it doesn't feel good being called a copier. This is the first time I have ever been really upset over something on BZP. And I'm not a kid either.... On second note, I can't wait for the polls!
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I want the 2007 playsets really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really badly! Unfortunatly, the TTT costs 700 DKK, the TUA 400 DKK and the BDP 250. I have 121 DKK. Should I just save a little and get the BDP, or should I wait almost 3 months with hard work and to get enough money for all of them?
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I notice that he seems to have some sort of affinity with falling rocks...
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...that this is supposed to be this, the similarity is awesome. ~D
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Look at this quote from F.O.F. 7. It's from the BZP text version. Silly word filter. =D -K-
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Recently, after reading Janus' Janice's thoughts on the Mistika in his her blog, I realized that I haven't given my thoughts on the Mistika Nuva. Well, as much as I hate to admit it, I have mixed feelings about the summer Nuva. One part of me wants to say that I like the Nuva and I am happy with them and another part of me wants to say that I am slightly disappointed in them. Personally, I think I'm in the middle of the two sides of the spectrum. The Mistika do have several things going for them but other things seem to bring them "down". I really like the recolored pieces that the Toa have and the new pieces they have are pretty good also. The only thing I really don't like about them is the lack of similarity they have to the Phantoka - the two teams barely resemble each other from what I can see. Personally, I'm quite disappointed in Lego for not making the Mistika resemble their old Nuva counterparts like the Phantoka did. It wouldn't hurt to give Tahu and Gali variations of Inika torsos and Onua a Piraka or a brand new torso. Tahu and Gali would both look taller compared to the other Nuva like they were in 2002 and Onua would be of similar height but a hunch back also like in 2002. The color scheme of the Mistika kind of annoys me a bit. Onua would be great if only Lego didn't put red fins and blasters on him. Well, I can fix that when I get Axalara T9 so I can switch Axalara's silver fins and jets for Onua's red ones. In my mind, Tahu and Gali kind of ruin the "flow" the other four Mistika had. Their color schemes look pretty good right now, but I would prefer it in dark gray like the others so they match them. About the Mata colours, I don't know if I would prefer them, they might look too bright for swamp combat (after all, brightness tends to give you away if you want to remain camouflaged). The Metru blue and red are fine for now. Also, I kind of wish Gali and Onua both had melee weapons or at least, a bladed weapon attached to their Nynrah Ghostblasters along with their current attachments. But I'll reserve my final opinion until I find out what the the Nynrah blasters do. Maybe it'll make up for the lack of weaponry. The masks is another area where the Mistika fall short. Onua's mask would look better if it was a designed slightly more streamlined and less Krahkaan-like. Gali's mask needs to look more feminine. Maybe a resemblance to Tanma's mask wouldn't hurt at all. Tahu's mask would look better if it was designed as a more mechanical version of Lihkan's Hau. These things above are all the things I don't like about them but basically I'm nitpicking every little detail. All of these things are just little things and when they add up, they look like a lot. There are also several good things about the Nuva. Though the color scheme on all the Mistika Nuva could be changed in some ways, I like the selection of new pieces and recolored ones Lego has made available. The most interesting pieces I see are the recolored silver limb pieces on Gali and Tahu, the Nynrah with accessories, the masks, the jets, and the miniature fins. Personally, I think Lego did a good job with the basic design because the Mistika look like they're designed for some swamp combat. They don't need the high-speed streamlined equipment the Phantoka have since you can't go to fast in a swamp - otherwise, you'll hit a tree. But they don't look extremely aerodynamic similar to helicopters. Helicopters are pretty streamlined but they aren't meant to go very fast, and they can maneuver very well since they can do things planes can't. The Nynrah look very very interesting. They appear to be fired using air pressure by pushing a accordion-style bladder on the back. For some reason, the blasters look like a combination of a Cordak Blaster (air pressure firing) and a Zamor Launcher (the style of the blaster). Simple yet effective. Also, I noticed that the hole where you slide in the Nynrah projectiles might be able to fit a Cordak round too. Interesting. The silver limb pieces on Tahu and Gali are very interesting and I thought they merited a paragraph in this article. Finally, we have silver lower leg limbs in the Piraka form and the Inika form. For some reason, when I see them on Gali and Tahu, they look slightly overwhelming but they look pretty good anyways. For Mocers, these pieces will be very useful and I plan to build a "Toa of Protodermis" Moc with them and the light gray pieces found on Nuparu Inika. So, that's what I have to say about the Mistika Nuva. They are really good sets and they have good pieces but the lack of recognizable similarity to their past forms or even the Phantoka is disappointing. Also, another thing I realized was that Gali and Onua really didn't have any weapons in their Toa Mata forms so now, the lack of weaponry is not that big of a deal for me anymore. If you guys have any comments or questions, please feel free to drop a comment. This thing took me a day to type so please drop a comment. Free cookies for anyone who does so! ~SB~
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June 4th! Yay! -TKM
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The Toa Mistika, the latest hot-button issue amongst BIONICLE fans. If you like them you're considered a noob who knows nothing or at best a supporter of the dreaded focus groups, if you don't you're clearly a purist who worships the very ground 2001 stands on. So, what are my thoughts? Well, I'm going to be misleading and cruel =D. Y'see, this is Mistika I, the first part of the article which deals with the setup and background for the advent of the Mistika. This will be a multiple part series and worry not, it will eventually get to my thoughts on the Mistika. To understand my thoughts you need to go waaaay back into 2001 when BIONICLE was just beginning (please hang on before you yell OMG HE'S A PURIST GET HIM). The Strange and mythical Toa were first revealed and frankly...I was not impressed. In fact I was terribly underwhelmed and refused to have anything to do with it. The 'teaser' of Tahu and Vakama did nothing to whet my appetite and I just wanted this expected failure of a line to get on and die just like RoboRiders and Slizer/Throwbots. But it didn't, in fact it was a few weeks later when a comic book detailing the lush world that these warriors lived in debuted in my very own mailbox. I read it from cover to cover repeatedly and instantly knew that unfortunately, I was hooked. Gradually the story evolved, bringing in the mysterious Bohrok and even the ungainly BOXOR and EXO-TOA suits (They've always seemed like they should be in capitals. Deal with it) and with it came the promise of change--perhaps the Toa we knew and loved were destined for something greater. 2003 appeared with mixed sentiments. Most of us here on BZP and across the fan spectrum had been eagerly studying the leaked images of the So-called Bohrok/Toa hybrids, with their strange and rather evil looking "Kranohi," could these things possibly be our much beloved Toa, or were they yet another fearsome enemy for them to face? Well as we all know now, the so-called "Kranohi" turned out to be the powerful Kanohi Nuva, powerful and mysterious artifacts and the transformation of the original Kanohi masks--but more than that, as was rather clear from looking at the new masks (Minus the Kaukau, but it was always kind of an odd duck out) they introduced something new to the BIONICLE mythos (Or at least the plastic) unlike the previous Kanohi they were organic. Again fan reactions were mixed, some still stand by the fact that Nuva-ization was the worst thing that could possibly happen, some eventually (and grudgingly) accepted that it was bound to happen, and others loved the changes almost immediately. I myself was between camps two and three. Upon the advent of the Nuva I proudly announced my disdain for them--minus Kopaka and Gali--and to this date I still regret not picking up a Tahu Nuva. Like what many perceive the conflict over the Mistika to be, the primary conflict about the Nuva was those masks (some of which I will not deny were godawful). Very few had issue with the characters or their presentation in the storyline--even the basic construction received props in most circles I frequented. It was just those masks. Sentiments on the Nuva remain mixed, but the fact remains it was a key part of the BIONICLE franchise, the first transformation of our primary heroes. And I think that's something that's forgotten fairly often--especially here on BZP. Back in those days (Man do I sound old) the Toa Nuva were the only heroes we knew about. The Metru, the Inika, the Mahri, the Hordika. These were concepts we couldn't even begin to grasp because we knew in those days that the Toa Nuva were destined to wake up Mata Nui--how could the story be about anybody else? It would be like Spider-Man comics suddenly passing off a new Spider-Man and telling us to love him instead (Funny story about that...) Naturally the move away from the 'main Toa' ruffled a lot of feathers, but most were content until it became apparent that the Nuva were to be shunted to the back of the story while more, newer, edgier, cooler heroes were pushed to the forefront (Jeese, am I writing this on Marvel Comics or LEGO?). And then there came that first hint of something wonderful. The word that the Toa Nuva were not only going to return to their place in the story--but that they were to be redesigned and re-released. Try and imagine the joy that old fogies such as myself felt. Our heroes were not only taking back what we always felt was their rightful place--but additionally they were coming back in plastic! Of course many of us (including myself) were also rather hesitant at accepting this at face level--not only because people can say just about anything on the Internet (By the way, I'm really Bill Gates. Don't tell anyone) but also because we had seen how few similarities were shared by the Matoran > Inika > Mahri transformations. but hey, a little hope couldn't hurt, right?
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I've been doing those MNOG things, it's so fun. I'm on a different computer so I can't show you them.
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Do other themes have them? If they don't, why does Bionicle? Other themes produce considerably better sets, and if they do it without focus groups, Bionicle's usage of focus groups is idiotic. ~D
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...can go punch itself in the face. Functionality FTW! ~D
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Today the Bones Blog brings you the text of the most important history of changes in Bionicle, with small modifications since posted several months ago on the forums. This is intended to provide the context for a major change in Bionicle that is often cited, but rarely understood, by complainers/nostalgics. For the sake of clarity, the two major styles will be referred to as "Technicism" and "Bioniclism." 2001 LEGO assumes, incorrectly, that Bionicle will be popular with Technic fans, so markets towards them with Rahi and gimmicks like gears, but adds storyline aspect and a "coolified" element in the set design with the concept of canister sets. Instead, Technic fans look down on Bionicle for the most part while the storyline aspect and coolified elements draws roleplayers in. Rahi sets sell poorly, gears are unpopular. Collectibles also sell poorly. Most fans are drawn to the unique aspects of Bionicle, like the canister sets, the more style-based designs of the Toa, and some aspects of Turaga and other sets, seeing this as "Bionicle." (For sake of clarity, this will be called "Bioniclism".) However, there are always exceptions, and a rare minority of Technic fans who love the Rahi and gears, etc. becomes very emotionally invested in Bionicle. They make up most online membership while the main fans mainly roleplay on their own. This minority often associates 2001 aspects with "Bionicle", often not realizing that most fans disagree. Sales overall are strong thanks to Toa, but bogged down by "Technicism". 2002-2003 LEGO still tries some Technicism sets like the Bahrag, but they continue to sell poorly. LEGO strengthens the popular canister sets by extending it to villains. Also falls into a clonism trap. Sales decline to the low point in 2003, bogged down both by Technicism and clonism despite initial success with the innovative canister villains (Bohrok). Bionicle's future is severely threatened and faces the choice to improve or die. Majority fans are bored, displeased, but excited at the rare exception like the Rahkshi which used much "Bioniclism" over "Technicism", seen in elements such as increased balljoint articulation, stylistic spikes, etc. 2004-2005 Begins to listen to the majority fans, and remove Technicism. Technic titans are replaced with more "coolified"-style, smaller, less expensive titans, and phases out unpopular gears. Also intros popular projectiles in full force, not just features of promotional sets like McToran. New fans begin to replace aging fans in greater numbers than ever before. Majority fans love the changes. The rare Technicism fans strongly dislike the changes and post litanies of illogicial complaints (which I promptly take apart, being our resident logician), though also some reasonable ones too asking for "treats" which LEGO still seeks to give these devoted fans. Sales begin an upward climb and Bionicle's future begins to look more stable. 2006-2008 Technicism largely gone, and LEGO begins to remove clonism. Articulation reaches a near-ideal state that's hard to improve on. New fans almost totally replaced older fans, and much 2004-05 fans getting older and moving on from toys too. The rare Technicism fans grow rarer as many move on to other things, but those that are left are more displeased than ever. However, proportionality-wise, they are a tinier minority than ever before. (Most of them make the typical mistake of assuming their tastes = quality, so they assume Bionicle has gone downhill. But in reality, they simply happen to be wired differently from most fans, which LEGO cannot control, and many come to see this fact as I keep on explaining it, and come to accept the reality for how it is and be at peace with it, even if they understandably wish reality had been different.) Majority fans more pleased than ever with sets much more geared towards what they want -- roleplaying, Bioniclism, projectiles, variety, etc. Also, during 2008, Toa apparently undergo a change from a more "Ruthless Elegance" style which most fans seem to prefer in villains, to "Noble Heroism." But that's a blog entry for another time. [Edit: Also see this comment for the history related to the 2008 vehicles, which I forgot to mention here.] Sales go through the roof, though admittedly facing some challenges in an increasingly tough toy market and with rising resource prices. Bionicle's health is strong. Challenges I Foresee With Bionicle moving even more in line with what most fans want, the biggest challenge to its future health is probably going to be nothing fancier than price of oil, steel, plastic, etc. With this and with the rest, Bionicle MUST remain willing to be flexible, and not fall into the rut of tradition, no matter how loud the nostalgic critics shout. This is because, while the above history discusses what majority fans want as if it is stable, my opinion is that it isn't really stable. It's just that, major upheavals in that sort of thing seem to be caused by society going through a major change, such as a technological one. IMO, having lived through the nineties and since, 2008 really isn't all that different from 2001, societally. So while today's kids still want roughly the same thing, with perhaps more strictness towards the "Bioniclism" side, that could all change in the future. I think we are beginning to enter a new technological revolution with HD everything, and the beginnings of the move to things like TiVo, much faster computers, much more advanced video games, etc. I'm not going to predict what that will mean for what future kids' majority tastes will be. I can only throw out possibilities -- maybe actually abandoning plastic in favor of virtual toys, maybe putting computing technology in every LEGO brick, or maybe something as simple as red going out of style. But the point is, the tastes might shift, and Bionicle needs to shift along with it if it happens -- there's a danger of getting too used to the winning formula for today and actually locking that in as The Formula. Good news for now -- I don't see the current leaders of Bionicle making that mistake.
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I found out how to hack what people say in MNOLG. It's quite fun. Here's a sample; The way you do it with the offline version is go into the folder called "MataNui" and scroll down until you find files with certain names(the one in my screenshot is called "surfer")and open it in Text or Textedit or whatever and delete the current words and put your own in, with + as a space. Some files are more complex, and have multipule things to change.(The first time you see Maku she has multipule answers you can say)Just read it carefully and you should find what you want to change. Or you could skip all that and ask me to do it for you. I have a Mac, those intructions might be different for PCs.
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I shall now tease you with this teasing teaser trailer of the teasing TKM's teasing comics. Also, I will annoy you with alliteration. Okay, the real trailer. The comics are coming out June 4th.
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