What is better: G1 or G2

[Average bionicle enjoyer]

[Average bionicle enjoyer]

Here is a big question for all Bionicle fans. What is better: g1 or g2?What is better: bionicle building system or CCBS?

Back in the day, things were simple, we were buying bionicle that was in the store. Now, we're questioning this question 

[That Matoran with a Vahi]

Personally, I'm G1 all the way - but a large part of that is simply due to timing. I was a kid in the target age group when G1 debuted, and already a Lego fan at that, so I was perfectly placed for 2001's story and atmosphere and mystique to capture my attention and wow me, and I stayed invested (more or less) all the way through to 2008 due to the level of depth given to the world. In contrast, when G2 debuted I heard the news that it was coming but was in my Lego 'dark age' and busy with university stuff, so I didn't follow it... and by the time I thought to check back in and see how it was going, it had already ended. As such, I have zero emotional connection to G2 and massive nostalgia for G1.

I have to say I prefer the classic Bionicle system, too. Nothing against CCBS, I've certainly seen it used to make some really impressive stuff; but I found that part of the fun of G1's sets were the way that many of the waves introduced entirely new pieces for torsos / limbs / etc., and then seeing the interesting ways those same specialised pieces would be used in subsequent sets as well. CCBS's approach, which seems like it uses a similar basic skeleton each time and builds off that (though I only have two CCBS sets so I may be over-simplifying a bit...), is surely more cost-effective for production and makes some nice results; but to me it just doesn't feel like it has the same crazy (and sometimes hit-or-miss) energy that I enjoyed about G1's system.

Again, though. 80% of this is nostalgia talking, so take it with a pinch of salt xD

[confused piraka]

g2 because I was around for it-but I wish I was there for g1 

[Nato G]

G1 certainly has its issues, especially with how much additional nonsense got awkwardly canonised in the years after it ended, but I still prefer it to G2. 

G2's story didn't have the same depth and mystery as G1, and it lacked the rich characters and intriguing lore of the original. The fact that it was cancelled and given a rushed conclusion also didn't help things. It coasted on the goodwill of old fans by reusing old concepts and character names, but then soured it by making their personalities and powers almost unrecogniseable from the original run.

Even the sets were underwhelming, with very samey builds and less iconic designs. Umarak is the only G2 set I can really remember having a distinct and striking design. What I loved about the original Bionicle line is that with every new canister set you were usually guaranteed to get a new Kanohi and new weapons unique to that set, whereas G2 sets often reused the same parts to a ridiculous degree. The second wave of Toa were especially egregious, as they all had the exact same weapon piece (and that piece was also used for most of the elemental creatures and beast villains as well that year, meaning none of the sets offered anything new or unique).

[Xboxtravis]

I mean if I were to say which one is better, it would go instantly to G1. But its also an apples to oranges comparison. One is a nearly ten year long theme with a large budget, and multiple tie-in media which produced dozens of sets annually; and the other was an intriguing reboot that always felt a little half baked and got shot to death after only a year and a half on shelves. 

I will always celebrate what G2 did right, CCBS has robust joints so less chance of broken sockets compared to G1, the character designs for the Toa were faithful homages to the 2001 figures, the masks were all hard plastic and most were fresh re-imaginings of the classic masks, some of the side characters and villains were homages to the 2001 Rahi, the YouTube animations felt like a visual refresh of the classic Flash animations from G1, and Okoto was the most Island of Mata-Nui like environment we had been to since G1's original setting. Despite the common chest piece and tools, I'd argue the Toa Uniters make a much better upgrade for their respective Toa than the Nuva were for the G1's original Toa team. 

But... again G1 has years of story, many iconic sets, dozens of books, comics, games, was the original source of the theme, etc. Its impossible for G2 to compare to that; maybe had things been different and G2 had a chance to live out a full 3 year (or longer) run maybe we'd be singing a different tune with the ideas of the reboot fleshed out over time, but the reboot theme was killed as an infant and LEGO seems unlikely to revisit it anytime soon. 

In practice my Bionicle display shelves have on top shelves opposite of each other the 2016 Toa, the Creatures I managed to get, along with Ekimu and Umarak the Destroyer on one shelf and the 2001 Toa/Matoran/Turaga and a few Rahi on the other shelf. Feels like bookends to display it like that, the last Bionicle figures right next to the first. "Its like poetry, it rhymes" or something like that. 

[Canama]

i really can't make a comparison. the first generation of bionicle was something i followed obsessively from when i was 7 all the way up through my mid-teenage years; for a good portion of that, i lived and breathed it. (i started developing more diverse interests towards the end of that period, as part of a general project towards self-actualizing as an actual human being, but i always retained a soft spot for it and i made sure to read every bit of canon material.) but when the second generation came out, it was different and i was different.

 

i was, by that point, an adult. the idea of obsessive fandom didn't really appeal to me anymore; if i was going to pay attention to this again, it would have to make an argument for its own worth. but even from the early preview material i got the sense that it wasn't going to have the same sense of mystery, the same layered world, that had so appealed to me all those years ago. so i let it pass me by. didn't get any of the sets; didn't pay attention to the story. i don't, to this day, really know anything at all about the short-lived bionicle quasirevival, and i'm not really interested in learning. i still come by this site every now and then when i feel a little pang of nostalgia for the story i fell in love with, but i'm not interested in the one that wore its skin.

 

i'm not even trying to denigrate the second generation of bionicle here; like i said, i don't know enough about it to denigrate it. if you enjoyed it, then good on you. i hope, genuinely, that you had fun with it while it lasted. it was for you. but it wasn't for me, and i wasn't for it.

 

edit: honestly, at second thought, it's not even bionicle generation 1 i'm really nostalgic for, it's bzpower itself. whatever.

Edited December 16, 2022 by Canama

[confused piraka]

1 hour ago, Canama said:

i'm not even trying to denigrate the second generation of bionicle here; like i said, i don't know enough about it to denigrate it. if you enjoyed it, then good on you. i hope, genuinely, that you had fun with it while it lasted. it was for you. but it wasn't for me, and i wasn't for it.

I was one of the people who wasn't there for g1 but was for g2

I didn't watch anything exit the journey to one but I still loved the theme

I didn't understand whatsoever but I am very glad I came back to it

and it's still kicking!

[Lorentz]

I almost died laughing at this thread title.

There is no such thing as "Bionicle G1." You made that up. It's called BIONICLE.

Bionicle G2 is something that failed from nearly every direction, and Lego made the right choice by cutting it early. Yes, it had some good things about it, mostly just the physical engineering of the new pieces, but everything else was embarrassingly poor-quality. Marketing, writing, etcetera - it was all abysmal trash compared to what Lego invested into the real Bionicle's early years.

Anyway, your question should be phrased, "What's better, Bionicle or Bionicle G2?" Calling it "Bionicle G1" implies that G2 is its equal, which it is not. It's basically a glorified spin-off that nobody noticed or purchased.

Edited December 17, 2022 by Lorentz

[Average bionicle enjoyer]

Всё, G1 нам же больше интереса и впечатлений. G2 же, не удалось ничего достичь только по вине Лего.

Но быстро ломающиеся сокеты меня бесят!!1!1!

Edited December 19, 2022 by Average bionicle enjoyer
Система неправильно отобразила мой ответ

[The Toa of Music]

I find the G2 sets cooler but like G1 story way better.

[IgnikaTV]

Yeah I think, that the Sets from G2 had better Quality (looking at lime green) and beter customisability (I hope I spelled that correkt) and are overall more appealing through poseability and stuff like that, but In terms of coloring, wich is even more importante if you ask me because Lego wanted to sell them ti kids and kids are not gonna buy a set that has boring colors, good exaple: defender Lewa. green is literally his secondary color. there is way too much gray/silver. That makes it look less appealing, if we look at Lewa Mata from 2001: he has only like 10 parts, that are not green and they are super small and don't stand out, the gears on his bach, his face, his hands, stuff like that. In that sence: G2 could have been way better setwise, than G1 if the made better choices about the coloring of the sets. And one other BIG factor is the accessibility. That was the key elemet of the old Bioncle formula. The sets were simple and cheap, but still appealing because of the colors, the cool looking parts and of corse the sory implemented by the commercial and the comics and more detailed on the website. Wich is, why it was so successful. Kids got quickly interested and becase of the low price and small set could instandly buy it. But the G2 Sets are big and more expensive kids wont just be like: "Oh that looks cool, Ima buy it." they are like: "Oh thats cool, but a bit expensive..." and many just don't buy it. And that is why I think the reboot went so bad. And of corse the Story is one of, if not THE most important marketing element. And as we all know G2 story was kinda bad and boring.

[Takanuva111]

On 12/14/2022 at 6:01 PM, Nato G said:

ALMOST unrecognizable? Look at Pohatu.

Edited August 26, 2023 by Takanuva111

[Master Inika]

G1 had too many ideas, G2 didn't have enough ideas.

G1 was amazing, G2 was forgettable.

[Lenny7092]

G1, obviously. It’s a huge part of my childhood that did a lot better than G2. G2 was too short and too weird in some ways. I wish G2 had continued longer, so it could be better than itself. I’m not forgetting those horrible and unwanted cancellations. Hate them.

[Takanuva111]

G2 Didn’t even get a makuta set

 

[Takanuva111]

And it was SO CLOSE to being connected to g1, which I wish it was.

[Aiden]

3 hours ago, Takanuva111 said:

G2 Didn’t even get a makuta set

 

It would’ve had g2 not been cancelled, and we have seen what it would’ve been like. It was a combiner iirc, and honestly a really awesome model, I’ve built it myself.

Edited August 26, 2023 by Aiden

[(-Kopaka Toa of Ice-)]

On 8/26/2023 at 8:16 PM, Aiden said:

It would’ve had g2 not been cancelled, and we have seen what it would’ve been like. It was a combiner iirc, and honestly a really awesome model, I’ve built it myself.

But isn't he very heavy 🤣


I have know G2 has some many flaws that is leaving beating a death horse. G2 had lot of problem including a lack of interest since kids are more interested in Star Wars, Marvel, DC, Ninjago, Monkey Kid, Dreamzz and Ninjago sets. That's a lot of rivals to fight for attention. But i think what really killed it it that people very tired of the ccbs system. CCBS had a lost of skeleton gaps depending on where you look at them and they lack features if they are lot printed of use stickers. True most bionicle sets have torsos and Inika system made sets look lazy. But if bionicle had used a brick and lego plates like Tahu and Takua set we have seen even maybe it could have been more interesting.

I both sets with minifigures in scenarios to show areas from the story and a brick/with ball figures, (with those have even option for the extra masks for the Toa) in their box similar to looking the Toa Mata had to look for them) That way people get great options similar to what Ninjago has been doing and it would be a less loss for the LEGO company.

[T.B.O.C]

I have more nostalgia and history with G1, but there's a lot of rough edges people smooth out remembering it tbh. I liked a lot of G2 better as like, playable action figures - never had problems posing, or creating cool displays with them. I thought there was some good modernization, though in many ways it just didn't last long enough to even see what an evolution in that line might look like.

It's kind of hard to compare in that way - is the extremely funded elaborately built 10-year toy line I played with and had great memories of as a child going to seem better to me? Yeah. I liked G2 though, despite some of it's drawbacks. It's rough to compared the two like they have equal footing.

[Takanuva111]

On 8/29/2023 at 10:31 AM, (-Kopaka Toa of Ice-) said:

Star Wars, Marvel, DC, Ninjago, Monkey Kid, Dreamzz and Ninjago sets.

Lego monkie kid and dreamzz didn’t exist back then. Also, you said Ninjago twice.

Edited September 3, 2023 by Takanuva111