Zarkan

Me too. I enjoyed all three movies - even though it was fairly predictable by the third. Since the actual characters got better with every movie, I didn't mind that I could see most everything coming. Heh, but that's considering that the TWO JP3 sets were possibly one of the biggest hash togethers ever seen in a lego liscense. If TLC made a whole new line and took the Indiana Jones approach (sets for both the old and new movies, and actual minifigs of the characters), I think it might sell well. And considering that TLC has really good relations with Speilburg and Lucas, it wouldn't suprise me at all.

Killer Moth? Mad Hatter!? BATGIRL!? .... this game has reached the ultimate level of pure awesomeness. Okay, let me see how the list of characters is adding up: GOOD GUYS - Batman Robin Nightwing Batgirl Commissioner Gordon BAD GUYS - The Joker The Penguin Catwoman Riddler Two Face Harley Quinn Mr. Freeze Scarecrow Poison Ivy Bane Manbat Killer Croc Clayface Mad Hatter Killer Moth So, we have three spaces left for villians, and I'm expecting that we will see one more good guy (probably Alfred). I'm hoping that the three more villians are Firefly, Ra's Al Ghul, and Ventriloquist, like other people are.

Honestly, while I get the reason for these rules, I think the overall execution is a bit strict. On a board with members from many countries with other main languages besides English, enforcing high standards of grammar is a bit overkill, IMO. I mean, members like snefroe and Vader rarely capitalized their "I"s, but because are such great members nobody gives a darn. Do these new guidelines mean that those members shouldn't be taken seriously because english isn't their first language? This rule could lead to all sorts of problems, and I for one am not especially happy about it. The main problem here is not grammar, but inteligence of posting. You don't need perfect grammar to make a meaningful post, and it especially shouldn't be expected of you if you don't speak english as your first language. On the flip side, great grammar means nothing if the post is pointless. Take a look at these imaginary posts: which one do you think is better? Or how about these two fictional replies to the Official 2008 sets topic? Which one do you think adds more to the discussion? "I have a very bad feeling about this...." - Luke Skywalker

Also true.

Argh, this has to be one of the craziest interviews yet. Well, I salute you for that, Phes. Making a sacrifice for the good of the Eurobricks Pirate community is very noble of yah.

Heaven help us if that happens.

True, but I was ignoring that because most people had no idea that that was even possible. Unaltered and played as normal, it was impossible to win the game.

Dill, if you want to discuss bionicle - or anything else on this forum - at least be MATURE about it.

Careful now - it's not usually good to over generalize. I see your point though, but I also don't see what's wrong with doing that. Bionicle is made to appeal to KIDS - not mature roleplayers - and most kids enjoy playing more if there's action features. I could say the same thing about the gears in the 2001 Toa: "just flip the arms around and bang them against each other. Oh, the excitement." From what I've seen with many older Bionicle fans, it's not as much having gimmicks that's the problem as much as having high tech things like guns in Bionicle. I agree that that is getting really old, but this is not a problem exclusive to Bionicle - every major line except City has launchers of some sort, which is a sign of what TLC thinks will sell the sets. And they're probably right. It's a good thing there's always been a simple solution to the gimmick problem in Bionicle - just take the launcher off. Problem solved... unless you're trying to do that to the 2005 kits, since it doesn't really help the appearance at all. Exactly - that wasn't gameplay either. Also, MNOLG II was plagued with so many glitches that the game was actually unwinnable.

Yes, I agree! This set is wonderful even today, and is one of the best fire kits ever release. And actually, realistic scale is not really a necessity in lego - it's just my personal taste. For example, I've never liked the tiny planes in the old airports that much, but I can see why a lot of people like them better than the new ones.

Another fantastic review, Brickster. Yes, this is easily one of the best Town sets ever released. The design is fantastic, and there are a lot of cool features. I believe this is the only set that has a drivers school and a building in construction, which makes it all the more special. Plus, there's tons of acessories like trees, flowers, road signs, street lamps, and even a bench and popcorn machines. And to top it off, you get two vehicles, a crane, and NINE figures! There really isn't anything much to complain about at all, which is why I give it a perfect score of 5/5. I believe that the reason that TLC started doing the Legends series year ago was because a lot of the modern sets were terrible - especially the town - so they may have thought it was easier to release old kits than to make new kits. Since now they have the much better City line (which is selling REALLY well), there is really no need to make any more Legends, buisness-wise.

One thing you have to understand is that the Bionicle storyline each year depends on what the sets are. Each year there are new villians, so each year Greg and the team have to fit them into the storyline somehow. That's why they've adopted an approach where the timeline and players in the bionicle universe are revealed slowly. The Order of Mata Nui, for example, wasn't even hinted at until 2005, and it was probably created to have another faction that certain sets and combiners could be a part of. As for the Ignika, I don't see what's the problem really. I actually like the idea of having a sentinent, extremely powerful mask that PERSONALLY influences the storyline, as it was something that had never been done before in bionicle (the other great masks we've had before were mainly powerless by themselves, and only influenced the storyline by other characters means) I agree that the actual feel of the MNOLG's world was amazing, but I personally don't like the gameplay that much. It just seems TOO simple, and IMO it needed more interactivity that it had. Still, it was really a work of art.

Quick solution to your naming problem, Staudie: just call him Deino. Another nice interview. I am suprised that Deino likes Alpha Team so much though - especially considering that the new Agents theme totally outclasses it, no matter what your opinion is on the original Lego Spy theme. Ah well, each to his own.

No, I honestly don't think that the yellow Han, Luke, and Leia look silly at all - because you still can recognize them very well. However, a yellow Lando would honestly be hard to recognize, as that comic I posted showed. It's not a matter of skin color as much as it is trying to make the figures easy to relate to their movie counterparts.

Totally agree. I liked Shadows in the Sky, but Swamp of Secrets was far better. I loved the characterization of the Nuva in that book - it really shows how they've been through a lot and have a really solemn and wise perspective on the whole universe, which would be expected after all the battles they've been through. The Makuta also had some great lines - especially Krika, who is easily my favorite Makuta other than Teridax aka "THE MAKUTA." Indeed. While I like following the actual storyline, I also have a bunch of ideas for alternate universes that are created in tandem with new MOC's. It's no different than what fans of other toys and sagas do.

I think it has to do with what audience TLC is aiming for. I believe that while Playmobile sells really well in europe, it isn't a big contender in the USA at all (the only store I've ever seen it at here is in Target). That is because american kids are very action-obsessed, while Playmobile is not. I think the general rule is that TLC is trying to please America above all the other countries - probably because this country is far bigger than most european countries. It's disappointing, I know, but I dunno if there's anything we can do about it. ~~END~~

Gah! Where'd all these new chapters come from? Man, I sure was way behind in the story.... Man, this comic is REALLY good. You've managed to balance character development, action, legend, and humor so well - and the scenes and picture quality is just as good. Hehe, I love the battle in the latest one. Can't wait to see more!

Hahahahaha. Actually though, I don't really agree with that. He is far better than Gali, sure, but he has a lot of problems. Besides the lack of a hunchback, he also is missing a decent tool, and his mask looks more like a mask of Shadows than anything a Toa would wear. Oh, and the jets in the back of the legs stink, and he's so skinny that Gali looks hulking in comparison. There, think I've listed everything.

Well, so much for my new hospital. Fortunately, this isn't nearly as bad as it might have been - because we're not getting another Fire line or Police line, but construction sets. And I love construction sets. I'm personally hoping we'll get a Backhoe or a bulldozer - two vehicles that we haven't seen in City yet. Those would be great additions - and I bet all the new sets will have trans blue windows instead of the trans black color. Actually, we've gotten construction sets every year except this one. We got the main load in 2005, but we also got a tower crane and bridge carrier in 2006, and a double dump truck and cement mixer in 2007.

Thanks for the review. This set was outstanding for its time with all the features and detail. The extending basket is just wonderful. However, I honestly wouldn't consider it the best firetruck ever. I actually like the one from 2005 even better - becasue like most of the City vehicles, it adds the needed bulk big engines like fire trucks need. Many of the older kits, while awesome, were honestly a little too skinny IMO.

Thanks again, Brickster. Suprisingly, I like this set better than the Police boat from the same year - despite the fact that it has no minifigs. The overall design just seems better, and there's more detail as well. I give it a 4 out of 5.

Honestly, while I understand how old it is, it still doesn't really seem that interesting. The main draw is the floating boat - and beyond that there isn't really much to say. I think a three is fair, since this set doesn't jump out at me like other classics.

Hey, welcome back Ravensburg! Glad to see you again. That is partly true, if you do hate the current story - but you've got to realize that there's many factors that affect the direction of bionicle. For one, a big part has to do with what the sets look like. I'm sure you've noticed how meancing Bionicle sets have become, especially villians (and even the heroes partly!). That no doubt has affected how the storyline is. Also, I'd said it before, and I'll say it again: Greg is not the sole storyline author. He may be the leader, but he has a lot of people working with him. Heh, well I probably did back then. But that was also when I was still kind of a newb, and back then I was so passionate that respect kinda got lost in the mix. I've gotten over that now, and with that also came the realization that you're really cool for actually attempting to make a new Bionicle storyline at one point.

Thanks for explaning. I bet that if anything, the main reason that Treespeak was simplified was that the kids didn't like the old version. Regardless, I don't really mind that much, because Treespeak was never a gigantic element of the storyline - although it did make the Le-Matoran sound really unique. Also, I see what you mean somewhat about the jokes. However, I think generally the books have stopped using as much of that as they did back in 2004 and 2005. Sure, there's some, but I don't think it really takes up more than 5 percent or so - and it's unrealistic to expect books written for 8-11 year olds to not have any of that. Plus, the dialogue has been improving - the Makuta and Barraki really had some great lines. Again - I'd like to see you do better. Greg may not be the best writer EVER, but his books are very good considering the age level they are aimed at. There's a lot of harder vocabulary, a ton of description, and the overall plot is very complex. BTW guys, a good point of inspiration would be member Lord Admiral Helden Ravensburg (who sadly doesn't seem to post on eurobricks anymore). He shares a lot of your opinions, but he doesn't just sit on his butt and complain - he actually was working on a new bionicle storyline that he created himself. Yeah, I know most don't have the time or experience to do stuff like that (I sure don't have the latter), but he's still someone to be respected because of that.

Yeah - a rock that also happens to be the Matoran Universe. Which means there's no way that he'll ever be a set.