Thursday, February 6, 2014

The Undefined Gamer: Bionicle Returning in 2015?

In honor of that movie that comes out this weekend.
Vampire Academy.


      So here's the deal.
      Some guy who's worked on Hero Factory leaked info on an upcoming Lego
Technic line to be released 2015. Like Hero Factory and Bionicle, it
will be centered around buildable action figures. As HF sales have had
"meh" status for quite a while, it is very possible that this line
will replace Hero Factory. It's also very possible that this new line
just may be Bionicle. (I can't tell if this is happening, so don't take it as fact. -CW)
      Why?
      Lego ended Bionicle when they did for a reason. Sales weren't
fantastic in 2009, but they weren't terrible, so Lego decided to
shelve the brand while it still had a good reputation with sellers.
This would allow Lego to revisit this line whenever they wanted.
Considering that Bionicle was Lego's most successful original line, it
makes sense that Lego would want to keep this option open.
     Lego overdid themselves with this line in terms of worldbuilding. So
many things can be done in this universe. Heck, lots already have been
done (in fact, this 'lots other stuff' is the reason why Bionicle's
entry level is so high; unless you start at the very beginning, you
will be screwed).
      However, if Bionicle comes back, changes must be made. Bionicle was
catering to two different audiences: young adults and kids.
      This is hard to do.
      I've compiled a list of suggestions to make a New Bionicle work. Note
that this post is purely speculation. Nothing has been outright
confirmed by the Lego group yet.
      1. Change your target audiences. Kids will want the toys, while old
fans (such as myself) will stay for the story. Bionicle's story had
conflicting themes, as it was trying to please two audiences.
      Don't limit the story because you want kiddies to read your books.
Don't cater to the kids in the movies and books. They shouldn't be
child-friendly. Bionicle, for the most part, can be pretty dark. It
can also be pretty stupid.
      Child-friendly comic relief characters! Corny Jokes! Neutered movies!
      Lego, what the hell? Are you afraid of parents complaining?
      Focus only on teenagers as far as the story. Use Greg Farshety. He's a
good writer, when given no limitations.
      Plus, the kids will read anyways. If anything MORE kids will read.
      2. Speaking of the sets...
      Cater to children. Catch their attention. Make new pieces
consistently. Change up the builds. Bionicle tended to get repetitive.
You need to give kids a reason to buy EVERY figure in your line by
making them distinct from the others in your line, as well as past
lines. Don't make them all variations of essentially the same figure.
Be creative. Take risks. Notice when Bionicle was at its best is when
Bionicle took risks, and they paid off.
      The Bohrok, Rahkshi, and Piraka sets are all prime examples of when
Lego tried something new and it worked.
      3. Movies...
Direct-to-DVD CG movies won't cut it. Look, Lego, we all know you're
dealing with a budget. Take time, don't rush these films. Give Greg
adequate time to write the film (unlike The Legend Reborn). Use your
budget well. Don't cater to the younger audience. Forget gimmicks.
Pour your money into the cinematography and writing. Forget focus
groups. They're what ruined this franchise.
      Make a good film.
      We live in an age where if you make something good, people will watch it.
      People will want to see a movie once the line comes back. There is
interest. Give them a good film. If you do, you'll even catch the
attention of those who aren't interested in this series (like Cinema
Won and... everyone who read this site ever). (I don't think it will. -CW)
      4. Acting. Get the biggest bang for your buck. Michael Dorn should not
have been casted as Mata Nui.
      Lego has had some decent voice actors over the years at best. At
worst.... I'm scared.
      If you give Greg enough time, you won't need superb voice actors. They
just need to cut the mustard.
      5. Female characters. There where a couple strong female characters in
the series. Literally, there was like two. Most of the time, they just
end up as comic relief, or underdeveloped piles of crap. Use them only
when needed. 
      6. Games. There is perhaps more potential in gaming for Bionicle than
any other series. Use Skyrim as guidelines as to how to make a great
open-world game that allows you complete control over customization.
Being able to "build" your characters can go a long way, if done
right. With thousands of elements, weapons, and abilities already
created in the BIONICLE storyline, the basic necessities to make this
game great are essentially there. People have made Skyrim mods based
around BIONICLE that perfectly demonstrate just what a high-powered
BIONICLE game can truly do.
      It'll take an enormous amount of work, and only big studies like
Microsoft could be trusted, but it can be done.
      7. Fanon/Canon conversion. In the past, Bionicle has been known to
instantly canonize fanon submitted to several Lego-held contests.
This should be done more often, not Just in Bionicle, but in Lego's other
lines as well.
      Well that was my list! If you have anything to add, feel free to do so
in the comments! I swear, I'll try not to do another Bionicle post in
a while.
      Well....
      Have you seen my Youtube? (http://www.youtube.com/user/thechapmaniac4)
      Yeah, you'll see why I can't stop talking about this series.
      IT MAKES SENSE!

5 comments:

  1. i completly agreed with you, the movies didnt show how the characters really were for example, the games should be much better, like many open world games, and i love that kind of games... BIONICLE was part of my childhood, and i really like it, the story was fantastic! Now it would be a shame that they dont will remake the line with new stuff/ideas of course... yeah, sometimes they were repetitive, but were awesome anyway

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  2. You know, I was thinking maybe they could switch up the characters with their environment: red- snow. Blue-desert. Green-lava. Brown-ocean. Black-jungle. I think the characters would stand out more clearly and relate to real life culture. Like the red in Tibetan cloths and the painted faces of africans. I remember my favorite set was the piraka because it reminded me of real life story's; Nazi Germany.
    Oh yeah, and bionicle mask of light was a complete copy of lord of the rings. Even elija woods played as the main characters voice.

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  3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeT6SKWvwtE

    ReplyDelete