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The Outsider

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  1. The Outsider
    I am not a MOCist, so I can't give my opinion on each system's versatility or how compatible it is with other LEGO systems. So, I will give my opinion on what I can: aesthetics. Personally, I prefer BIONICLE's more varied pieces; the tiny little details gave each set its own personality, even when reusing a bunch of similar parts. Though it may be just my nostalgia talking, I saw a lot more differences between the first Toa than between the 2.0 Alpha Team. That said, CCBS is starting to grow on me, and I can see now the many possibilities it brings for building when used properly. It helps that the variety between sets has definitely improved. There is one thing, however, that it desperately needs compared to old BIONICLE parts: texture variety. All the shells are so polished and shiny, the only things that comes to my mind when I see a CCBS build is either "barely-out-of-the-factory robot" or "arthropod".
  2. The Outsider
    I would like to see something like the Technic figures again (or something with the same level of articulation). I always thought they would be a better fit for Action Figure playsets than standard minifigures.
  3. The Outsider
    Depends on how well-received they are. But I wouldn't worry; I doubt they would let the new gearbox piece go to waste so soon.
  4. The Outsider
    My problem isn't the voice being hoarse (okay, maybe it is...), it's that I was expecting a "legendary ancient leader" or "wise elder" tone and instead got what fells to me like "sitcom grandpa". I actually think the VA did a much better job with the PoF's voice. Now that I think of it, there is something I would prefer in the animations and graphic novel more than longer running time or a different artstyle: more displays of elemental power. We haven't really seen much of that yet, have we? Not sure about the cocoon, but there's definitely a few things on the bridge that will be revisited and expanded upon. Though I think the empty pedestal is probably first in the list. As for needles and haystack: the Protectors wear cloaks, and Okotoan society is shown to be closer to humans than the Matoran society ever was (with the children and the fishing...), so there probably are needles and haystacks in Okoto. And if there aren't, maybe those exist in wherever (or whenever ) the Toa came from.
  5. The Outsider
    Sweet! Transformation and building: my two favorite gimmicks.
  6. The Outsider
    Well, it's not like the original names were more creative: "Kick" and "Axe", anyone?
  7. The Outsider
    I remember posting that idea a while back; glad to know more people have considered the possibility! As for how they adress each other, the Protectors could always call themselves "brother/sister" like in Gen1. Cool concept! As for the names, according to Biosector01 they were Axe, Claw, Hook, Flame, Blade and Kick (guess who became who ). Great MOC! Now all it needs is a cloak... That's probably why they changed it: LEGO wanted kids to buy these things, not run away screaming. It's also why they changed from "knocking heads off" to "knocking masks off". Although what's too scary and what's not has obviously changed over the years. I thinks that's the point: if the Doo Head had treads like the Manas, it would be more stable. EDIT: Episode 9 is now in English at Youtube. Ekimu's voice...doesn't sound quite as I'd pictured.
  8. The Outsider
    Which Gen1 comics? There were three artstyles I can remember: the one from the Mata Nui arc (which I think is what you are referring to) was mostly toy accurate, but tweaked with things like better proportions and armor cracks to make the characters look more real and less like toys; the one from the Ignition arc was sketchy and a bit abstract (and frankly, a bit of a mess IMHO); and the other comics were completely toy-accurate. Also, quality in artwork is relative. What some might find good artwork, others might not. I, for example, prefer something a bit more detailed and realistic (but not on Alex Ross levels of realistic), but I think the current simplified style fits the webisodes and their simpler, kid-friendly atmosphere perfectly.
  9. The Outsider
    Nice! Do you think it will keep the webisodes' simplistic artstyle or will it be something different (and perhaps more toy-accurate)?
  10. The Outsider
    They were complaining way back with the Nuva, if I remember correctly. You can't please everyone
  11. The Outsider
    Wasn't looking completely different why people complained about the Phantoka/Mistika group? Then again, if any toy company with long-running franchises stopped making decisions that would raise complaints from the fandom, those lines would be cancelled for lack of ideas (and they would still get complaints over that) Nice! Now I'm warming up to the shooter animal idea (if it's real, that is). Nice theory, but there's one problem: we already know the MoCR can't be made of multiple elemental powers. The MoUP is the only one ever built with more than one element according to the Legend video, and it was so powerful it took over the user (or maddened him; still too early in the storyline to tell). But I like the idea of the Toa gaining their original mask powers; I sure hope that becomes official. Yeah, I'm not even bothering to see those... Here's a thought: so far we believed that each year we'll have one legendary mask (the confirmed MoCR for 2015, MoCO for 2016 and MoUP for 2017). BUT, there have been hints to a Mask of Time (in fact, one of the promotional magazines actually mentions the Mask of Time being used to summon the Toa), so it's likely the "three-mask hunt" will end earlier (in 2016 or Winter 2017) and the remainder of the storyline will be the search for the MoT to send the Toa back to their home. EDIT: Episode 8 is on the main site now. And now we wait for: "The City of the Mask Makers". (if you haven't seen it in Italian, that is)
  12. The Outsider
    Shame; I miss vehicles too! That leg armor...the shoulder pieces...the new torso... Please use that for BIONICLE 2016!!! Okay, maybe not the torso... Well, Takanuva or not, we're going to need new hero characters soon.
  13. The Outsider
    I mentioned that a few pages back; it (that's the most accurate pronoun, I believe) is so passive during the whole battle it barely acts like a villain! I kind of half-expect to discover the LOSS was like G1's Bohrok or Umbra now: threatening and scary, but actually doing something good at the wrong time. Hopefully the Skull Army is going to be a better menace. By that logic, shouldn't we save that for Makuta and have Grinder act as the Manas crabs? Then again, spinning bones fits the Robo-Skeletor better (unless the MoUP is the real villain; then I'm all for spinning-bones-around-floating-mask).
  14. The Outsider
    And before that we had Bionicle: The Game released with the first movie. And they could be keeping the game a secret for the 3-year finale or something. But I doubt it: LEGO aready said they're keeping the budget low this time, so a game outside of the "mobile app" range is probably unlikely. If the line is successful enough, however, there might be a chance. They could always release a CCBS-focused sequel or expansion, like Skylanders did with Giants/Swap Force/Trap Team and Disney Infinity did with Marvel... Like I said above, however, it's unlikely. Not sure if anyone already posted this: while looking for BIONICLE news on Google, I found a neat little detail in Kopaka's shrine: Tahu was the only other Toa with a doorway to the shrine; maybe his has something of the Mask of Fire as well? EDIT: Just checked; no it doesn't. Shame.
  15. The Outsider
    Actually, it's an expansion; the original concept art we had more of a close-up on the Toa and the entrance. See and compare: BTW; I think we're missing one Skull Villain light in the night picture (either that or Skull Slicer and Skull Scorpio are together; they're both green, after all). And though I enjoy the little map/Doo-Head reference, I'm not sure it's accurate enough: the water canals don't seem to match up. Too bad; it was such a good Easter Egg . Well, we did spend the first half of 2015 with the Toa looking for the Golden Masks, so I can understand why some might feel Okoto hasn't been explored properly. There's still hope for 2016/17, though. Has anyone noticed that the concept art seems more post-apocaliptic than the actual media? Even the Ancient City is more in ruins than in episode 7, where there's only a few cobwebs, some cracks and a broken totem (which is weird, since the Legend video showed a bit more destruction...)
  16. The Outsider
    Now that I think about it, dinosaurs are actually likely: we're already getting Jurassic World sets this year, might as well take advantage of the following hype and excitement.
  17. The Outsider
    I actually liked that idea too, but I think it might be too scy-fy for G2 (yet ). I was thinking something more mystical, like Mask of Regeneration/Restoration; something that could be used to heal the Skull Army of their undead state as well. I actually hope we stay in Okoto for a longer time just so we can explore more of its environment. I actually thought it would be a good idea if there was a season focused in the Northern Okoto (Regions of Ice, Water and Sand) while they searched for the MoCo, and another focused in Southern Okoto (Regions of Fire, Earth and Jungle) while they searched for the MoUP. Or the other way around. That said, the idea of enemies from overseas is appealing, especially if it involved travel and battles between both islands instead of staying only in one. But I would prefer something a bit more generic (and less overused) than pirates; vikings or barbarian hordes would be nice. I would prefer a 50/50 mix: some humanoid villains, some bestial (and not arachnoid; we already had a lot this year). But what I would really like would be something in-between, like the the Hordika, or an enemy of alien nature and abilities, like the Bohrok, the Baterra or the Vahki (and yes, all of those three examples involve transformation of some kind. I'm a sucker for transformation ). Another good idea would be elemental (not elemental-themed, actually elemental) enemies, like the Element Lords and the beasts from the cancelled first game. You and me both ! Maybe in the Jungle/Water Region's swamp? I t was said to be unexplored even by the Protectors... By the way, my earlier comment about the pacing seems to have been misinterpreted (I probably wasn't clear enough; sorry), so I'll clarify: I wasn't criticising how fast the episodes were uploaded, but how fast the story is advancing in each episode. Most of it is reused animation from previous episodes or the character animation, and we dedicated two of them (episodes 4 and 5) just to reach and use the Golden Masks. And many cool ideas were just wasted: we never really explored Okoto and its Regions, never saw the Toa battling Skull Spider-controlled Protectors and never saw them taking LOSS' Golden Mask of Skull Spiders and do something about it (ending a battle like Web of Shadows's "You're free!...That's an order!" would be cool and a bit funny). Also, I was not comparing it to G1's early years (I couldn't any way: no comic was ever sold in my country, I could only find the first 2 books of each collection in 2008, and I didn't take an interest in the internet until 2005); if anything, I was comparing them to what shows I like such as Transformers or Doctor Who have done. In retrospect, however, I'm definitely being unfair: those last at least half an hour each episode, while the webisodes are one minute and a half long. Still, I can't help but feel disapointed.
  18. The Outsider
    I hope that's what happens, because so far the pacing has been awful! And the voice acting doesn't help: the only good ones are Tahu and Pohatu; Onua (now I hear the "dumb brute" tone) and Kopaka are not bad but unremarkable, and Lewa and Gali are rubbish. That being said, the Toa fighting together redeemed the new episode for me. But it felt a bit anticlimatic that the LOSS only stood there and deflected their attacks; couldn't he try to strike them once or something? Ohterwise he feels less like a villain and more like a neutral guardian like G1's Umbra. On a sidenote: what about Ekimu's gold-and-blue Protector mask? Do you think it is merely cerimonial, or that it has some sort of power? (please not Protector Mask of Creation, please not Protector Mask of Creation!)
  19. The Outsider
    Fun episode. Frankly, Onua spoke too little for me to tell if he sounded like a "dumb brute" or an "old father", and I think Kopaka did sound defiant, only with a more cold (sorry!) tone, much like his G1 no-nonsense, "lone wolf" style of defiance. Gali and Lewa, on the other hand, don't sound like they should. In fact, to me it sounds like Gali has the narrator's voice (the narrator's voice when he's not pretending to be one of the characters, that is) and Lewa has PoF's voice. Ugh! Let's hope things improve in later episodes (unlikely, though).
  20. The Outsider
    Nice! Though for some episodes I think only 3 screenshots were too little... Oh, and the character list in episode 6 doesn't have LOSS, so tose four eyes might be Skull Grinder after all (but then again, neither does it have the Protectors or the Skull Spiders, and they certainly show up) Not really; I prefer to have a complete collection over an army, and I have to save money for TFs too (though for those I only worry about the screen-accurate figures, otherwise I have neither budget nor space for them). Most of my repeats are combination sets like Ultimate Dume and Irnakk, or gifts I got repeated that had no exchange ticket (it did allow me to keep both a Zyglak and the Barraki on display...) So, when do you think we'll visit the Temple of Time? Maybe that´s where Ekimu really is?
  21. The Outsider
    You should see his blog, then:[blog=http://faberfiles.blogspot.pt/][/blog] True, and I loathe myself for falling into the cliché. The new gear or the Creation burst (if it's a deliberate move by Ekimu to prepare them in the battle against Makuta and not just a random power burst) sound more likely. But I really think a new set of heroes to accompany the Toa is the more obvious choice: Hero Factory and Exo-Force repeated their main characters wave after wave with little to no changes, and see how long they lasted! And it may be just nostalgia talking, but mutations induced by strange liquids or mutagenic venom don't soud really contrived to me. Lightning, on the other hand... I really, REALLY love that idea. Especially the naming of the mountain ranges. Would the other lakes have islands in their center as well? Care to post a picture? Regarding Okoto's (un)naturality: yes, it was mentioned that the Villagers shaped the island to their needs, and the clear division is probably a nod to the Slizers as BIONICLE's "ancestor" of sorts. Still, I hope there is some kind of great reveal, such as the island being a hive mind, or a terraformed Magitek living spaceship (but no GSR again; this line has introduced way too many new things to fall back into an old plot). Crazy thought about the walking weapons rumor: maybe they're enemies/companions/collectibles packed with the real sets, like the Skull Spiders before them? If their build doesn't use too many pieces, it's possible. The idea of someone narrating the event is starting to grow on me. I'm even starting to imagine the final episode: Oh, and I got Onua. Speaking of it, many people seem to be Onua around here.
  22. The Outsider
    Slightly better, but unless the shooter creatures are different for each element (i.e.: a bird or an insect for Jungle, a predatorial fish or an amphibian for Water), it's still a bad call in my opinion. And if I recall correctly, the one time they released two villains in a row (Bohrok-Kal and Rahkshi*) it ended up being one of their worst selling years, so I don't think they'll repeat that again. * not counting the Vahki and the Visorak since the latter only were released before the Hordika in Europe, I think Also, since we're starting to discuss 2016, shouldn't we perhaps rename the topic? Maybe "BIONICLE Gen2 Discussion"? On a sidenote, who wants some Gen1 concept art?
  23. The Outsider
    I actually had a different idea in mind: that the Okotoans' Masks (Mask Makers and Skull Spiders included) have more traditional designs because they come from a tribal/ancient society, and the Toa's Masks have a more futuristic design because they come from a more technologically advanced society (having fallen from space and everything, and possibly being called from a different point in time). But since the Okoto-located Golden Masks share the Toa's mechanical details, I'm not sure how well that theory holds. While I like the idea of "Ekimu, Master of Creation", I really hope this is just a rumor. I mean, an entire line of limbed shooters? Yep; I remember when I was a gullible kid I usually mailed them ideas I had for new toys, and they answered they couldn't accept them because the design process takes years and one of those ideas could already be in development (and also copyright issues, obviously). My problem is not so much the voice acting as the pacing of the episodes. Seriously, most of them are just previews of the next one! We just spent 3 of them with ONE Toa finding and using his Golden Mask, while the other five were shown for barely a glimpse. That said, however, if they focused in every Toa finding their masks it might run the risk of feeling formulaic, like the instruction comics. That would be cool, but I don't think kids these days would enjoy a video where they have to read unless it's from a video game (and even then...) Hmm, interesting theory... That probably explains why on Spherus Magna a Mask Maker would choose to wear a Mask of Control instead of Creation.
  24. The Outsider
    Not bad, but feels like a "filler episode". Hope the summer series has better pacing. Cool! On a sidenote, so far I only got Tahu, Lewa and their Protectors, so I have to ask: does anyone else feel the Toa's masks have a more mechanical design than the Protectors'?
  25. The Outsider
    Agreed; that's why I never bought a '00 Rahi (that, and I don't think they were availabe where I lived; only the Toa). This part alien/part english naming convention is sort of a given in fantasy, especially when aimed at children. It doesn't help that some didn't resemble the species they were supposed to be. In fact, I think Gen1 had it both ways: most "magic" turned out to be science, but the science was so far off from the real thing it still felt like magic. It was really a silly rehash of the "LOSS is a transformed Makuta" theory: Like I said, silly. But now it gave me a new idea: according to that ancient law, no mask can have more than one elemental power, right? Then what about the masks worn by the Mask Makers, and the Golden Mask of Skull Spiders, and the Mask of Time (hoping assuming it's not an element this time around), who clearly can't be based on elemental forces? Is there some other way to make Masks beside elemental forces? True. But hopefully with proper heads rather than helmets mounted on armor pieces.
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