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More BIONICLE Video Games?


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So, this topic focuses on the one question: Do you think the BIONICLE franchise should have had more video games during its lifespan? Now, let me tell you something that's hard to admit as a die-hard BIONICLE/video game fan... The only BIONICLE video game I've ever played was the BIONICLE Heroes demo. There, I said it. But I'm not that worried about it. You guys are pretty kind most of the time. So, anyway, since I barely had a taste of what BIONICLE video games were like, I have no right to judge the games and ultimately make the decision on if the franchise deserved more games. But you guys probably did play them, so what do you think?

 

Honestly, I would love more BIONICLE games to be out there, even if I couldn't buy one. It's a way to reach out to people who prefer games over toys. Aside from this, there was a ton of story material for video games back in the day. 2008 or 2009 may have been the best bet to me, but it doesn't matter. On another note, 2010 was probably the perfect year for a BIONICLE Traveler's Tales game (if there was enough money to do it). Think about it, wouldn't you love it if your favorite franchise had an ultimate grand finale that everyone would be talking about? You'd expect BIONICLE to go off with a major bang with some of the best sets you've ever seen in the franchise! And a video game that year could cover all of the years of BIONICLE and their highlights, even if it had to be a gaming trilogy much like LEGO Star Wars. But no. We got six randomly picked dudes fused with Agori as sets barely even worth $10, and no video game! Quite a disappointing end to the toyline that changed my life, in my opinion. I'm getting a little off topic, so let's wrap this up.

 

Putting money and financial issues aside, you you think that BIONICLE should have made more video games during its run? Why or why not? Sure, 5 video games was a good amount for the series, but I'm the kind of gamer who'd play a certain game and instantly want more from the franchise. 5 games doesn't feel like enough to me, so what about you guys?

mindeth the cobwebs

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Honestly, I think the BIONICLE video games were pretty bad, even in the realm of video games based off of existing IP, which tend not to be as good as original concepts. The games were frustrating, and weren't backed by canon story. That being said, I absolutely think there should have been at least one more game, and there nearly was. From what I've seen of the cancelled 2001 video game BIONICLE: The Legend of Mata Nui, it's hard to imagine the game being worse than the 2003 game, and there was certainly enough time left before release to fix the major issues. Plus, it was intended to be the 2001 canon story line, something that wasn't attempted in subsequent games. Except for that game, unless significant effort and very careful and early planning were put into a game, and the gameplay wasn't based on TT's repetative and recycled engine which probably would not have happened after 2006, I don't think more BIONICLE video games were necessary.

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BIONICLE could have used more good games, yes. But like the others have said, I think that most BIONICLE games would have turned out to be very low quality.

 

That said, you should check out the Fan Created Media forum (which includes the now-defunct Fan Created Games forum) for some incredible experiences (mainly RPGs) built by friends. I particularly recommend The Son of the Toa, which was created by a good friend of mine.

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Frankly, I think the best Bionicle game always has been the Mata Nui Online Game. Other games tended to focus more on action than on the story and characters. Bionicle: The Game railroaded you through a linear set of levels (which included insanely frustrating surfing levels, to boot). Bionicle: Matoran Adventures was a charming little platformer, but it had little in the way of substance. Tales of the Tohunga (Later retitled Quest for the Toa) had some story material, but it was hampered by blurry graphics and shoddy mechanics. I only played the DS version of Bionicle Heroes, which while surprisingly good for a shooter on that system was still fairly mediocre and had little-to-no plot.

Somehow, I never obtained Maze of Shadows, which from all appearances sounds like it could be decent. But I doubt even that would match the Mata Nui Online Game, which was in my opinion one of the best ways Lego has ever launched a theme, by fully immersing you in the theme's world and letting you explore and solve mysteries at your own pace.

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Formerly Lyichir: Rachira of Influence

Aanchir's and Meiko's brother

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I haven't played Tales of the Tohunga or Matoran Adventures because I don't feel like downloading an emulator from the internet (and I've never owned a game system).

 

Honestly, I enjoyed BIONICLE: The Game. I liked the gameplay, and I liked how things looked. I generally enjoyed the surfing levels. That said, freeworld-type gameplay (with questing) would have made the game much better, as would advancement/training/use of masks. It would have also been better if it followed the story of Mata Nui, and if they knew that Matoran was plural in itself (instead of saying "Matorans").

 

I have not played BIONICLE Heroes.

 

I really enjoyed some of BIONICLE's web games - MNOG and MNOG II, of course, are classics, even the second one has some flaws (like the amount of training/grinding required). VNOG was a lot of fun for me as a Dofus fan (VNOG was made by Ankama, who made Dofus), even if it again had some flaws (mainly the amount of time walking required). The action games were great too - Piraka Attack was great fun, Inika Island Assault as well, and Matoran Escape...2006 was a really good year for BIONICLE web games, if not Toa. There are a few others that were also enjoyable.

 

 

I would have loved a freeworlding game on Mata Nui where you complete quests and gather masks - that is, relive the entirety of the story of Mata Nui. TLG would never have payed for such a thing as it would require more development time and work and it would be for a group of years that had already passed by the time of its release. I'm not sure if I would have enjoyed a Metru Nui video game, although maybe a Voya Nui one could have been fun.

The Legend Lives...

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Weren't the ones we got awful enough?

 

The best game released, not counting webgames, was Maze of Shadows, which was a mediocre RPG. The rest were nearly unplayable. Tales of Tohunga felt like a Zelda rip-off, with too many enemies everywhere, and you couldn't see half of them if you were playing on an old GBA because the color palette was too dark. Matoran Adventures would have been a mediocre platformer had they not made the STUPIDEST mistake possible in a platformer and made the whole camera move every time you jump, thus making the platforming element infinitely harder than it needed to be. BIONICLE: The Game on consoles has actually gotten worse reviews than Superman 64, with boring levels and just being too short. If you are a BIONICLE fan, you will cringe at everything they say and do, from "They flew towards Onu-Wahi!" (Seriously? They flew towards the caves spanning beneath the entire island? They FELL?) to Gali suggesting the Toa split up (The Toa who believed in Unity above all else?) The GBA version would be an average puzzle-platformer if it wasn't for the fact that the controls have been rotated 45 degrees, so pressing "Up" makes you go up and to the right, and is so darn confusing! Maze of Shadows was okay, but kinda boring. I'm not really a fan of RPGs, but if you are, then that one wasn't too bad. Heroes on GBA was tedious, but felt like Ocarina of Time compared to the console version, which was a shooter where you didn't have to aim, and were invincible through 3/4ths of the game. The DS one was pretty fun, but again, nothing special.

 

So no, I am perfectly happy those were all the games we got. Even as a young fanboy of BIONICLE, I could tell those games were wastes of time to play.

 

There were some decent online games, but the first MNOG was the only one that stood out to me as being particularly great. Maybe something else like that.

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Weren't the ones we got awful enough?

 

The best game released, not counting webgames, was Maze of Shadows, which was a mediocre RPG. The rest were nearly unplayable. Tales of Tohunga felt like a Zelda rip-off, with too many enemies everywhere, and you couldn't see half of them if you were playing on an old GBA because the color palette was too dark. Matoran Adventures would have been a mediocre platformer had they not made the STUPIDEST mistake possible in a platformer and made the whole camera move every time you jump, thus making the platforming element infinitely harder than it needed to be. BIONICLE: The Game on consoles has actually gotten worse reviews than Superman 64, with boring levels and just being too short. If you are a BIONICLE fan, you will cringe at everything they say and do, from "They flew towards Onu-Wahi!" (Seriously? They flew towards the caves spanning beneath the entire island? They FELL?) to Gali suggesting the Toa split up (The Toa who believed in Unity above all else?) The GBA version would be an average puzzle-platformer if it wasn't for the fact that the controls have been rotated 45 degrees, so pressing "Up" makes you go up and to the right, and is so darn confusing! Maze of Shadows was okay, but kinda boring. I'm not really a fan of RPGs, but if you are, then that one wasn't too bad. Heroes on GBA was tedious, but felt like Ocarina of Time compared to the console version, which was a shooter where you didn't have to aim, and were invincible through 3/4ths of the game. The DS one was pretty fun, but again, nothing special.

 

So no, I am perfectly happy those were all the games we got. Even as a young fanboy of BIONICLE, I could tell those games were wastes of time to play.

 

There were some decent online games, but the first MNOG was the only one that stood out to me as being particularly great. Maybe something else like that.

Totally agree. Especially the last line.

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I would have liked there to be more games, but as other have mentioned, a majority of the ones we got were terrible in their own right. I have only played a few of the console-released games. The web-based games were actually fine with me. I will probably always enjoy MNOG 1 and 2, despite how often DSL back then gave me problems playing it (was glad when MNOG 1 was resurrected much later on). Some of the others were entertaining, like the CD content Toa Metru games, Stop the Morbuzakh, I think even the Glatorian Arena was was fine. But then the console games... oh man, the console games...

 

I never played the 2001 Tales of the Tohunga since I did not have the Gameboy Advance back then and I wouldn't until 2003 and by then the game was no longer being sold, but I've heard it was so-so for a game. Then we get to my "favorite" game in 2003, Bionicle: The Game, based off the hit comic series based on the toy line.

 

The graphics were kind of... uh... The voice acting was probably what bothered me the most. Onua was Jamaican, Takua sounded weird, Takanuva sounded like a total dork, Makuta sounded like a Saturday morning cartoon villain, and Nuju... I think now i know the real reason why Nuju never talks. That voice just haunts me in my dreams. Plus, I don't think the people working on the game really knew Bionicle too well. Why does Gali call Lewa "LAYWA NOOVA?" Aside from comic 9, they never call themselves [Name] Nuva or anything. Or Takua Nuva, which isn't his name. Matorans... I don't know where to go on that one, considering the "Matorans of Voya Nui" did that as well on the boxes. As for the gameplay itself... it wasn't all that pleasant.

 

I died a lot in that game on certain levels all because of glitches or errors made in the game. How about the time Lewa froze up and exploded when he touched a rock? Or the time Lewa landed on a leaf, but still somehow died in the Death Water? What about when Tahu was chasing Kurahk through the lava and somehow died because the game thought I didn't shoot down the rocks blocking the way? And why does Takua do that weird dance in Ta-Koro?! It really disturbs me. And how about how the music in the game sometimes stops, and then reloops and replays? That's a minor nitpick, but still, not many good games do this. However, bad, cheaply produced games tend to do this from past experience.

 

Sadly the game was kind of bad and the planned sequel that would have covered Metru Nui was cancelled, only an unplayable demo with Matau being the only trace of it left. Speaking of cancelled, the 2001 PC game was apparently looking very good in early development and if not being cancelled, who knows? It could have been a very good game. Or at least one that didn't make me cringe.

 

"Behold, MAHKOOTA, I, the Seventh Toa have come to banish your darkness forever and return MAHTAH NOOWEE from his slumber!!!"

 

"YOO DEFEET ME?! ALL BY YOURSHELF?! You are nothing! I shall defeet you! within the blinkk of an EYE!"

 

Sadly we wouldn't get too many other games after that. We got the Maze of Shadows game, but sadly this game was very scarce and I never even saw a copy of it in my life. Probably because retailers didn't see much demand for it in my area. I've heard it was actually pretty dang good and followed the book of the same name kind of well. There's some problems concerning the story, mostly revolving around the Energized Protodermis being and his form, but oh well.

 

Bionicle Heroes was a game I was looking forward to a lot and was glad I got it for Christmas 2006. The story that year was probably one of the best and one of my favorites so I was on board to play it. And it was awesome! AWESOME! At least until I realized how repetitive it got after a while... That kind of started a problem for me. To this day, I still haven't completed it 100% because I got kind of tired of it. It's a shame, too, seeing as I love the Lego games Traveler's Tales made, but this one might be one of their only lackluster games in their lineup of Lego games. But it was still a lot better than the 2003 Bionicle: The Game: The Disappointment: based off the hit movie based off the hit book series based off the comic series based off the toy series. You walk around, you destroy stuff. you solve some puzzles, you gather pieces, you go Super Saiyan to destroy the boss, mission accomplished. But then again, some missions didn't make much sense either. And why is Axonn working for the Piraka? Was he under mind control or something that whole time? Even in his profile in game says he fights for justice. Oh, well...

 

At least, the console version of the game... I've only played that version. I've heard the DS version of the game is a lot darker and plays out differently than the home console version, even getting a T rating compared to the E10 rating the other one got. I sadly don't know a whole lot about this version of the game, so I can't really say too much about it.

 

And then yeah, after that we pretty much didn't get anything else, I'm guessing because Bionicle Heroes did not do as well as they hoped it would, so with that in mind, everyone decided it would be best not to really invest in a future Bionicle game afterwards. But then Lego took another chance in the the Bionicle movie biz, and we all know how that turned out...

 

I would have loved to see a game for 2010, and I think that would have worked out nicely. I mean an actual console game, as I personally prefer to play there versus at a computer (sorry, I'm not a PC gamer). If not something like a retrospective of Bionicle as a whole (Yeah, I'd play something that's 2001-2010 in a nice package!), then something epic for the final battle of 2010. Maybe play as certain character for specific missions. Like for example, a mission where Gali and Pohatu stop the Visorak in the MU, so we finally get to know how it is they apparently stop them as Teridax says they do. Or like Mata Nui going in the maze and trying to solve a whole bunch of puzzles to try and rescue Tarduk. Something, I mean. Not so much like Bionicle: The Disappointment, but kind of similar concept. I would have preferred that over getting 6 midgets who were like a slap in the face to my childhood and everything I liked about Bionicle.

 

Tahu: Why am I depowered?!

Ignika: To sell toys!!

 

A nice game would have been a great finale to the series, so it would go out with a bang instead of a whimper. I know Greg has said we should be lucky to have even gotten what we did, but that doesn't really make the hurt feel any better. Yes, I know that, but it was still a big shock to me that it all ended so abruptly, as if they were just trying to force it out the door to let Hero Factory in. Like, I didn't even get a chance to say good-bye to a group of long-time friends that I know I'm never going to see again... Friends who I might never know what happened with or get to ever see again or anything.

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At least, the console version of the game... I've only played that version. I've heard the DS version of the game is a lot darker and plays out differently than the home console version, even getting a T rating compared to the E10 rating the other one got. I sadly don't know a whole lot about this version of the game, so I can't really say too much about it.

It wasn't really that it was darker, it's just that First Person Shooters are always T or M rated. I believe it has something to do with the fact that your primary objective is killing people, and, even though it's like that in the console version to, the first person makes it more firsthand or some other garbage.

 

I'd actually like a dark game that was based on the storyline, even if the gameplay wasn't too good. At the very least, it would have entertained me as a kid. But they didn't even try with the games we did get!

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If you're not counting the MNOGs, nearly all of them were horrible. I have a special place in my heart for Tales of the Tohunga, though. It was the first BIONICLE game I had ever played with the exception of MNOG I and II, and even though it was pretty frustrating at times, I loved it and played the heck out of it. I didn't mind the GBA version of Heroes too much, but it certainly wasn't great either.

 

Had BIONICLE: The Game actually turned into what LEGO originally envisioned it to be, it would have been spectacular. An epic adventure spanning across the events of 2001 - 2003 in detail, with great gameplay, and a cohesive storyline matching up to the canon storyline. But that's not what happened at all. :P They instead left an astonishing amount of planned levels out of the game, there was no storyline at all, and the gameplay was pretty terrible. But that original formula they had dreamed up would have been fail proof in any future BIONICLE game, and it's a shame nothing of the sort ever came into being.

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Since I like the existing Bionicle console video games, I think that there should have been more Bionicle console video games. I think that there should have been a video game at the end of each year of the Bionicle toyline's life span. Each of the games would have been based on the year's Bionicle storyline. The Bionicle video games also should have been like a combination of Lego Minifigures video games, like Star Wars and Super Heroes' action/adventure gameplay and Bionicle Heroes' weapon-upgrading part of its gameplay. That would have been cool if these could have happened this way.:)

I like Lego, Bionicle, and Hero Factory!:)

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The problem with most of the games that were released was the plot.

It is strange since Bionicle strength was mainly based on its interesting storyline.

If they would have followed the original Bionicle story they could have created much better videogames.

To answer your question: yes, I would have like to see more Bionicle games, but only without enemies that are actually allies (Bionicle Heroes) and other disappointing choices.

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The problem with most of the games that were released was the plot.

It is strange since Bionicle strength was mainly based on its interesting storyline.

If they would have followed the original Bionicle story they could have created much better videogames.

Not necessarily. Video games are like other media in that they CAN tell powerful stories, but most of those are written for the express purpose of being told as video games. There's a reason video games based on specific book and movie licenses, as well as movies based on specific video games, have a reputation for being awful they are attempts to tell stories in a way entirely different from how they were intended to be told. As such, they lose many of the benefits of their intended medium, and are unable to take full advantage of the benefits of the new medium they are being adapted to.

 

I agree that a lot of BIONICLE games should have had more to do with the powerful stories the franchise was based on. But they would not be able to live up to their full potential unless they told NEW stories that were designed with video games in mind.

 

The Mata Nui Online Game was a good example its story was largely separate from the "Quest for the Masks" that made up the main story arc for that year, only crossing over with the Toa's adventures for brief moments (and in the end, but that decision was only made because the PC game which was INTENDED to tell the climax and resolution of that year's main story was abruptly cancelled.

 

In contrast, "BIONICLE: The Game" tried to retell key points of the main story. Because these stories were not meant to be told in this form, heavy changes were necessary and the end result was just yet another mediocre licensed game.

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In contrast, "BIONICLE: The Game" tried to retell key points of the main story. Because these stories were not meant to be told in this form, heavy changes were necessary and the end result was just yet another mediocre licensed game.

 

Even with the time constraints and all, they could have done a much better job of explaining the story and making it not completely stupid. The the gameplay was a bit below mediocre. I know I have high standards, but reviews like 3/10 are not mediocre.

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The problem with most of the games that were released was the plot.

It is strange since Bionicle strength was mainly based on its interesting storyline.

If they would have followed the original Bionicle story they could have created much better videogames.

Not necessarily. Video games are like other media in that they CAN tell powerful stories, but most of those are written for the express purpose of being told as video games. There's a reason video games based on specific book and movie licenses, as well as movies based on specific video games, have a reputation for being awful they are attempts to tell stories in a way entirely different from how they were intended to be told. As such, they lose many of the benefits of their intended medium, and are unable to take full advantage of the benefits of the new medium they are being adapted to.

 

I agree that a lot of BIONICLE games should have had more to do with the powerful stories the franchise was based on. But they would not be able to live up to their full potential unless they told NEW stories that were designed with video games in mind.

 

The Mata Nui Online Game was a good example its story was largely separate from the "Quest for the Masks" that made up the main story arc for that year, only crossing over with the Toa's adventures for brief moments (and in the end, but that decision was only made because the PC game which was INTENDED to tell the climax and resolution of that year's main story was abruptly cancelled.

 

In contrast, "BIONICLE: The Game" tried to retell key points of the main story. Because these stories were not meant to be told in this form, heavy changes were necessary and the end result was just yet another mediocre licensed game.

 

The problem is that they used main characters from the original Bionicle story. That's why I am saying that if you use them, then you should insert them properly.

 

Of course, I didn't mean they should have followed every single step of the story.

However, Bionicle Heroes should have followed, in my opinion, the 2006 story a lot more. For example the Piraka should have been the evil opponents that defeated the Toa Nuva and not some ridiculous and goofy characters as showed in the game. Most of the characters in that game didn't have the same personalities and roles.

 

The problem with "BIONICLE: The Game" is that is tried in incorporate too many things in only one game. It could have been focused only on the 2003 story with some additional side quests and battles.

 

I agree that a good game (MNOLG) doesn't necessarily need to be based on the same plot of the current storyline, but MNOLG didn't contradict the main foundations, while Bionicle Heroes did.

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  • 2 weeks later...

For what ot was worth, Bionicle Heroes was okay. See, it wasn't made to follow the main story, unlike Bionicle The Game which failed at tbat, badly too. Bionicle Heroes was just, I suppose, put together the characters known, and make a fun game. Games are.expressedly made to tell their own story that can be conveyed in Vidya Gaem form. So having characters not be in-character was sort of expected.

 

(Thought I am completely Teridaxed by the fact that Axonn was a bad guy.)

 

That said, having more video games of the quality we've seen in Bionicle Video Games... wouldn't bet Lego's funding on it.

 

But having just one game that was better? Definitely worth it.

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For what ot was worth, Bionicle Heroes was okay. See, it wasn't made to follow the main story, unlike Bionicle The Game which failed at tbat, badly too. Bionicle Heroes was just, I suppose, put together the characters known, and make a fun game. Games are.expressedly made to tell their own story that can be conveyed in Vidya Gaem form. So having characters not be in-character was sort of expected.

 

(Thought I am completely Teridaxed by the fact that Axonn was a bad guy.)

I was actually fine with all the misplaced characters in that game, it almost reminded me of how I used to play before I knew any story at all. The core gameplay sucked, and that's why I hate Heroes.

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I liked most of the games up until Bionicle: HEROES. I liked Bionicle heroes for one reason: I liked blowing stuff up. Unfortunately it's puzzles were not as complex as they should have been. In case you want to play some of the old bionicle games, you can go to the biomediaproject, as for video games, I wouldn't bother. Not worth it.

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There was an interesting discussion about Heroes that was lost when the site went down last year. I don't have anything to add to what I said there - the problem isn't so much what it was, but what it failed to be. Here was a chance to tell the '06 story in full scale 3D gaming. There could've been six Inika characters to play as, Matoran to meet, Piraka and Brutaka to battle, a whole island to explore, and a whole story to tell. But instead the lazy path was taken, and we ended up with a shallow, non-canon fighting game that added nothing to the Bionicle story or experience at all.

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  • 4 months later...

If done right, It would be AMAZING! I would like to see it take elements from the previous Tt LEGO titles like tasks that are only performed by certain characters,building stuff, co-op, humor, and more recently, voice acting.I could see it start during the Voya nui arc and end when Mata nui is flung into the cosmos(to compensate for the lack of movies)and thus become pseudo-canon. Ironicly, I made this post on my Wii U. (^o^)

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Link to my comics coming soon... once I start them, that is.

 

Also, credit to my cousin ~The 1st Shadow~ for my avatar

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