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Editorials 
Lego Evolved: Bionicle and Galidor
- By Michael
Loewer
The Lego Corporation is not the same simple creator of building-block kits you may remember from your youth. Since then, their Lego building sets have vastly increased in scope, size, and complexity, and they have added other products to their line-up that one may not immediatly associate with Lego. Lego Technic, for example, attempted to blend the creative aspects of Lego with the advanced and complicated aspects of building working machines, some even including electronic parts.
However, Lego's recent additions to their product lines, specifically those shown at E3 2002 (well, give or take a few months), have taken Lego far beyond their original roots.
Say hello to Lego Bionicle and Galidor. Lego Bionicle you've no doubt heard of, as it first appeared in September 2001. Galidor won't be out for a while on any console (GBA Fall 2002, Spring 2003 other consoles), and while you've possibly seen the kids' TV show, the gaming aspect may be new to you.
We don't normally showcase toys (read: never), but Lego of America was kind enough to send me selections from their Bionicle and Galidor toy lines. This is because the toys, especially in the case of Galidor, will help accentuate Lego's gaming releases and fit well with this editorial. I mean, seriously, toys never cease to be cool, especially Lego products.
The first line we're going to look at is the Bionicle toy series. Senior Editor Lander Clinton reviewed Lego Bionicle for the Game Boy Color back in September 2001, and may will be using some of what he said in his review here. For the most part, the Lego Bionicle toy line has little connection with the games other than allowing you to build the major characters. When we get to Galidor, you'll see that one of the toys actually interacts with the games, which is even cooler.
This is a nicely arranged stack of the entire Lego Bionicle toy line. As you can see, this only includes six buildable characters from the game (enemies, actually), and they're all similar in appearance and identical in construction. You can also purchase the good guys, but these are not included here and are far smaller and simpler to build. Please pay no attention to the puzzle in the background, it's my sister's work, not mine. I swear.
Here are the assembled Bionicle figures, arranged in an excellent triangular attack pattern. No, I'm not 10 years old -- I'm simply highly immature. What this is basically supposed to show you is that while individual characters are certainly well-constructed and an nice purchase for a young Bionicle fan, the only real reason to buy them all is collector's value. As you can tell, other than the colors and minor variations in limb weaponry and whatnot, the Bionicles are identical. I certainly understand that they may appear similar in the games too, but some variation in building technique would mean a lot when it comes to the enjoyment in putting these things together. For instance, when I built the first one, I had a great time reading through the instructions and slowly assembling it, just like my much younger days. From then on, however, it was more like a chore, because they're all assembled exactly the same.
Why this picture? Because it's awesome, that's why. In addition, take a look at the clear plastic shielding over the top of the Bionicles. If you look closely, you can see some color underneath (most clearly seen in this picture in the green one to the right). Now, these are rubber "power masks" that the Bionicles wear. You'll get a random one with each Bioncle, but there are twelve total and they can be bought in bulk from Lego. These can also be attached to the good guys in the Bionicle series, which puts them under the control of the Bionicles in terms of the plotline. Again, collecting all 72 different masks (12 each in 6 colors), is a collector's issue only, even if they are very inexpensive.
Here's a couple of shots that most easily allow you to see how these toys vary from regular Legos. During the building of the Bionicles you end up creating a simple gear system with a rubber-band as a resistance. This allows you to use your thumb or other digit to thrust the Bionicle head forward, and then ease off the pressure to allow it to snap back. When you see it in action, it's somehow rather disturbing. I imagine a giant metallic chicken trying to peck my brain out.
I'm weird like that.
Storing the little guys is rather clever. The idea is that these Bionicles roll up into little balls for quick movement and then unravel for the attack. Think of the shielded assault droids in Star Wars: Episode I, if that's not too painful for you. Anyway, these toys can be folded in on themselves to make for easy storage. A hanging device attaches to the lid of each plastic case, allowing the Bionicle to suspend freely.
That's about all there is to discuss for Bionicle. Lander's review of Lego Bionicle for the Game Boy Color can be found HERE. Again, these toys don't directly interact with the games, but they have become increasingly popular and are very high-quality, and who wouldn't like Legos based off of a game?
On to Galidor...
Galidor is Lego's latest creation and is the subject of numerous games coming out for multiple consoles, including specifically the GameCube and Game Boy Advance. In fact, Galidor will be the first game from Lego to be released on the GameCube.
For now, let's take a walk through this sample toy line so you can get an idea for what Galidor is all about.
Here's a three-quarters view of the assorted figures Lego sent me. They're pretty high quality, with solid construction, and are rather tall with an average height of about 7 or 8 inches. Moving from left to right, we have...
Pictured here are Gorm and Nepol (Nepol is sitting on Shimmel). Gorm is the series villian, evil and relentless, who knows that only one obstacle stands in his way of the land of Galidor -- Nick Bluetooth. His most potent forces are his illusion-casting and mind-control abilities. Those who dare challenge him can wind up lost forever in the illusions he creates when armed with his accessory: the horror claw. Nepol was once an eight-foot tall Siktari warrior, until Gorm shrunk him in battle. Even though he's now short, Nepol is still tough, fearless, and angry as ever before. His temper gets him into trouble, but his ice-blaster armbands and powerful luka staff help get him out of trouble. He's a loyal friend of Nick Bluetooth, and is looking forward to taking out Gorm once and for all. Shimmel is Nepol's riding creature, who provides transportation throughout his native icy world.
Nick Bluetooth is the series protagonist and always knew there was more to life than going to school and living with his grandfather. When he stumbles upon a mysterious egg-shaped craft capable of dimensional travel, his greatest adventure begins. He comes with the "power arm" attachment, with geared punching action. Jens is a four-armed robot with the mind of a brilliant, if eccentric, scientist. He's a little nervous and somehow always manages to land himself and those around him in danger. But when there's trouble, you can count on Jens to be the first to help. Jens is a master at inventing all sorts of gadgets, and can fix anything by modifying his and to a welding arm.
Finally, we have Euripides, former Chief Philosopher to the High Court of Galidor, Euripides is the last known Amphibib in the realm of Arbo. His great wisdom and telekinetic powers make him an invaluable friend to Nick. The staff he carries lets him focus his energies to move objects or other beings with his mind. The staff also gives off light to show the way or to temporarily blind his appointments.
Now, the general idea behind Legos in general is the creation and easy modification of buildable items, and the idea behind Galidor is similar, if not a little simpler. The single more important factor in the Galidor series is what Lego terms "glinching," and this is where the easy creation or modification comes in. Basically, this is where a character is able to assume the limbs and therefore abilities of another character to assist in is or her quest. For example, in the game coming out for the PS2 and Cube, Nick might "glinch" the arms of Jens the Robot to increase his lifting strength.
The toy series is no different, as it's built to allow very easy modification between figures. Because of this, basically any limb, head, tool, etc., can be fit into any socket on another character. For example, checkout this picture of the back of gorm below:
I'm not exactly sure what's supposed to go in these sockets, as there is a Deluxe Gorm that I was not sent that has extra pieces. However, these sockets are identical to those used for the limbs and head, and basically any item from any other character could fit in here. Hell, I could pull both his legs and arms out and snap them in here, no big deal. To see what I mean, check this out:
What you see above is the body of Euripides with the head of Nepol, the right arm of Shimmel, the left arm of Nick, the right leg of Gorm, and the left leg of Jens. This figure doesn't make any sense or anything as far as the Galidor plotline goes, but it accurately portrays the "glinching" ability of all characters within the series.
There are plenty of other characters Lego is making figures for, but they only sent me this specific selection. The non-included figures are built to the same specifications and are also totally customizable in the same way as above.
However, I believe Lego is MOST excited about their upcoming Kek Powerizer figure that actually interacts with both the video games and TV show. It's expensive, and not yet available, but should be very cool when it's released.
The Kek Powerizer will use Wireless Acoustic Communication System (ACS) technology, developed by Lego, which uses audio signals embedded in the soundtracks of the television series and video games (as well as web audio), to elicit spontaneous reactions from the figure to add to the action in whatever multimedia you're using.
This technology was demonstrated to us at E3. The representative at Lego used the GBA Galidor game, to be released this Fall, to test the Powerizer unit. During the demonstration, the GBA game emitted what to myself was simple background noise. However, the Kek Powerizer figure nearby recognized this as an understandable audio signal, and promptly spoke a short phrase. The quality was not perfect by any means, but this was a very early demo product and E3 gets damn loud.
In addition, the Kek Powerizer will contain 22 pre-programmed games and missions that you can play and/or unlock through its multimedia interactivity. These, along with messages, are displayed on an LCD screen on the back of the unit. Tilt and rotation sensors are included within the Powerizer as well (similar to Kirby's Tilt 'n Tumble) to facilitate gameplay, along with motion sensing units in the arms. A head sensor is also able to distinguish between Jens and Gorm, each allowing for separate content within the figure.
The expected price when the unit releases is $59.99 US, and while this seems expensive at first, one must keep in mind that the unit is compatible with the TV show, all the games, and web audio from Lego. Plus, the LCD screen on the back basically functions as a small, tilt-sensing, 22-game platform. Besides, even I think it'd be cool to have this thing talk to me while I'm playing Galidor on my Cube or GBA. Imagine beating a level, and simply using the sound emitted by the game, the Powerizer congratulates you on a job well done (Jens) or harshly criticizes your attempts (Gorm). This exact response isn't confirmed or anything, but you can expect similar results.
In any case, Lego has come a long way from their early building-block roots. Have they gone too far, or is Lego a welcome addition to the video game (and associated toy line) markets? Lander Clinton wasn't too pleased with Lego Bionicle for the GBC last September, but if Lego starts producing quality gaming material in the coming months, I'm not going to complain.
Editor-in-Chief Michael Loewer, out.
Agree with what I'm saying? Disagree? Let us know your thoughts on this issue in our mail bag. The views of Michael Loewer are not necessarily the views of NGenres.com or its affiliates.
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