The LEGO Batman Movie

After the success of The LEGO Movie in 2014, an inevitable sequel was announced, and with it a pair of spin-offs based on Batman (as depicted in the movie) and LEGO’s popular Ninjago theme. Upon hearing about The LEGO Batman Movie, given Batman’s humorous portrayal in The LEGO Movie, I did have some reservations at first on whether his shtick would be able to carry an entire movie. A trailer paired with the disastrous Batman v Superman gave me a glimpse as to what such a movie would be like, and further trailers towards the actual release helped to assuage any doubts I may have had. In the end, I can say I enjoyed the movie much more than I thought I would initially.

After foiling a plan by The Joker (Zach Galifianakis) to blow up Gotham City, Batman/Bruce Wayne (Will Arnett) goes home to his large and empty mansion, eating microwaved lobster thermidor and watching movies alone in his theater. As Batman looks at an old family photo, his butler Alfred (Ralph Fiennes) suggests to him that he not only fears having a family of his own, he should also consider the possibility of raising a child. At an event commemorating Barbara Gordon (Rosario Dawson) as the new Commissioner of Gotham, this comes to a head when Bruce Wayne unknowingly adopts Richard “Dick” Grayson (Michael Cera), an orphan. Meanwhile, The Joker is upset about Batman not paying him any attention despite being a major villain, and so concocts a new scheme to earn that attention after watching a TV interview with Superman (Channing Tatum) involving the Phantom Zone.

The Joker (Zach Galifianakis) just wants some attention from Batman (Will Arnett).

Though this movie is a spin-off of The LEGO Movie, it generally presented itself as a stand-alone story, the only major connections being the existence of a swirling abyss at the edge of reality and Batman’s abilities as a Master Builder (allowing him to construct whatever he wants using LEGO bricks from the environment). Aside from that, the story was actually rather easy to follow and had some solid writing amidst a slew of largely-clever humor (among them a number of Michael Jackson references). In general, the movie can be viewed as both a celebration and parody of Batman as a whole, since there are a number of references/jokes to previous Batman media (up to Batman v Superman at the time of the movie’s release), many of them to the 1966 Adam West series. The movie also notably features the film debut of a great number of Batman villains (including Z-list characters such as Clock King, Polka-Dot Man, Calendar Man and Condiment King), as well as the first time the entirety of the Justice League has been seen on-screen together (beating out the upcoming Justice League movie by nine months at the time of this writing).

Yes, Condiment King is a real Batman villain.
(Pictured: His appearance as he debuted in
Batman: The Animated Series.)

As with The LEGO Movie, the animation is very well-done, mimicking the stop-motion style rather well. I did notice, however, that more liberties seemed to be taken in regards to character animation, such as minifigure arms and legs, while retaining static positions, moving more free-form around the body to achieve certain poses, as well as there being more ambiguity as to whether the minifigure characters have a static “neck.” Batman’s cowl is also noticeably more animated compared to it remaining static in The LEGO Movie, however the end result maintains the stop-motion illusion by appearing as though multiple cowl molds were swapped out between frames. There is also some minor cheating in that some realistic smoke and water effects are used at times rather than having said elements be made of LEGO bricks, as in The LEGO Movie, though the animators still did a good job overall in maintaining the illusion of being a high-budget stop-motion production.

The voice acting is actually pretty good, with Will Arnett returning to voice his version of Batman and being able to run with it while still delivering a good range of emotion when needed. I honestly did not recognize Michael Cera playing Dick Grayson/Robin, mainly because I’m used to seeing him perform characters along the lines of Scott Pilgrim, which to me proved that he actually has some range as an actor and makes me wonder if he will ever get an opportunity like that again in any future role he is given. Zach Galifianakis delivers a rather interesting take on The Joker, who is portrayed here as being a serious villain while at the same time edging on being one of the sillier Jokers, as he goes out of his way just to get Batman to recognize him as a threat in a way comparable to unrequited love. While Galifianakis is not Mark Hamill, he certainly makes his Joker memorable, which is unfortunately more than I can say about Jared Leto’s Joker as seen in last year’s Suicide Squad. The other voice actors in the movie do a good job in playing the roles in which they are cast, a number of which seem to be played for laughs, such as editor Matt Villa delivering a higher-pitched voice in a brief moment of Killer Croc speaking and The Big Bang Theory’s Kate Micucci voicing Clayface.

The main score is provided by Lorne Balfe, whose resume includes the main entries in the Skylanders video game franchise among other things, in collaboration with drummer Chad Smith from Red Hot Chili Peppers. While his score might not be as memorable as Mark Mothersbaugh’s score in The LEGO Movie, he does a good job in giving The LEGO Batman Movie its own identity separate from its predecessor. A well-composed lounge music cover of the song “Everything Is Awesome” is performed by Richard Cheese & Lounge Against The Machine, however its use is more subtle here than in The LEGO Movie.

The LEGO Batman Movie is a movie for fans of all things LEGO, Batman, and LEGO Batman. While not as good as The LEGO Movie, it keeps the same spirit of its predecessor while having its own identity as a fun action-comedy. It’s especially fun if you are a Batman fan, since, as I said earlier, the movie is essentially a simultaneous celebration and parody of the caped crusader’s 75+ years of history, many of it stemming from the Dark Knight Trilogy and the Adam West series from the 1960s. Attached to the main feature is a trailer for The LEGO Ninjago Movie; while I am not well-versed in the Ninjago theme, I remain cautiously optimistic that the movie will convince me to go see it in a similar fashion to how The LEGO Batman Movie managed to convince me.

Galidor: Defenders of the Outer Dimension (GBA)

In the year 2002, a live-action sci-fi series aired on Fox Kids (called Vortexx at the time I began writing this review before it went extinct) called Galidor: Defenders of the Outer Dimension. The show involved a boy named Nicholas “Nick” Bluetooth (Matthew Ewald) and his friend Allegra Zane (Marie-Marguerite Sabongui) becoming involved in a battle against the evil Gorm (Derrick Damon Reeve and Steven P. Park; voiced by Ian Finlay) in order to save another dimension (despite what you may think, Nick’s last name, Bluetooth, does not refer to Bluetooth technology, which was on the rise at the time, but rather the Danish King Harald “Bluetooth” Blaatand, which the technology is also named after). One major aspect of the show was a power known as “Glinching”, in which two parties can swap body parts with each other by making physical contact (ex. touching heads or left arms to swap them), usually done for one party to gain an ability another has that they don’t (ex. swapping legs can give one super speed). However, Nick is special in that he can Glinch without having to make contact, so one minute he can have a normal arm, the next it’s briefly a telescopic arm or a piledriver and so forth. Usually, Nick used this power to gain the upper hand, although there were also moments where this power would backfire on him. The show even had its own line of LEGO toys, which were made such that each figure had swappable body parts, allowing one to swap parts between toys to recreate the Glinching power seen in the show.

The main cast of the TV series (from left): Euripides, Allegra, Nick, Jens, Nepol

Growing up, I was a major Galidor fan, as was my brother and also my parents to a certain degree, and even now I have some memories of it, even if they are mostly vague (it’s been a while since I last watched the show). Similarly to Bionicle (which has received a reboot since I began writing this), it reached the point where I not only obtained every figure in the LEGO line, including one that actually interacted with the show, but I also got every one of the McDonald’s toys that were made as a tie-in, all of which also featured the Glinching gimmick and could thus interact with the main-line toys.

Gorm, the main antagonist of the series (in lieu of an actual screenshot).

I share my thoughts on this (now obscure) series because on a trip (the same one where I found Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy) I stumbled upon the tie-in video game released for the Game Boy Advance (GBA), also called Galidor: Defenders of the Outer Dimension. Since I then-recently acquired a Game Boy Advance SP, I decided to give the game a go, since I remembered liking the show and wanted a chance to experience something else Galidor related after being away from it for over a decade. While the game itself did allow me to touch base with a show I enjoyed so much and did nothing to hamper it, it does prove itself to be a bit of a challenge for all the wrong reasons.

After landing on the planet Arbo, Nick Bluetooth’s friends are kidnapped and taken to other worlds, forcing him to go rescue them. There isn’t much to the story beyond this, aside from Nick having to face Gorm at the end. However, I wouldn’t entirely call this just an excuse to get the game going, since whenever you rescue a friend they tell you where you need to go next, so I would consider the story loose at best.

The title screen, featuring the main cast in 32-bit glory.

Each world you travel to, of which there are 5, is split up into 4 levels, at least for the first 4 worlds; they usually consist of two platforming sections, followed by a 3D section before switching back to platforming, culminating in a boss fight. The fifth world, Gorm’s Lair, is entirely a boss fight, but I will get into more detail on that later. At the end of each level, you need to find a Keyfrag, which in the show are pieces of the egg-shaped key to opening the dimension Galidor, before you can advance; additionally, you must also enter the TDNM (Trans-Dimensional Navigation Module), aka the Egg (due to its shape), at the end of the platforming and boss sections.

The TDNM, for reference.

Throughout each level, you can pick up one of six different Glinches, ranging from a laser arm to a super jump, all of which are needed to more quickly advance through the area in which they appear. These Glinches also only last for a short period of time, though sometimes another copy of a Glinch you are using will show up within the same level to refill the timer (this can come in really handy during particularly difficult sections). You can also hold up to two Glinches at a time (grabbing a third will override one of the two you have), which can be (de-)activated at will by using the L and R buttons on the handheld. Each of these Glinches has a special power that is usually activated by pressing the A or B button, depending on which power it is. (During swimming sections, press B to accelerate; do this while facing up if you want to jump out of the water. If you plan on playing this game, I just saved you some frustration right there.)

One of several Glinches you can obtain during gameplay.

The platforming sections of the game actually have a good amount of enemy variety, and if you’re not careful, you can take damage before you land a hit (your normal attack is a sort of slide kick, though some Glinches can do the job more effectively). However, I played on Easy mainly so I could get through the game quicker, so I can definitely say that most of the game’s difficulty comes from the level design in the platforming segments. If you’re going through a level for the first time, you will end up running into a lot of blind jumps and more than likely die a lot in the stage, so to get through the level you pretty much have to go through it enough times to memorize it, particularly in the later stages of the game. I will give points for each level being unique from each other, but even some of the harder stages are a little more difficult than others (especially when you need the grappling hook Glinch, which requires very precise timing to swing across ceilings, to get through). Fortunately, each platforming level has a number of checkpoints to ease the struggle, though there are points where it almost seems like there aren’t enough of them. Due to this frustration with some stages, I employed a strategy that helped me get through the game at a somewhat respectable pace: When I got to a particularly difficult section, I took a break and kept my SP on (with backlight off) and constantly plugged in while in this state when able, that way I could continue without having to start the level over again (which you will have to do if you at any point turn the system off).

Another point of frustration is the boss fights, of which there are 5, including Gorm (aka the entirety of the Gorm’s Lair world). For a couple of them, I was able to figure out on my own how to beat them, though with the others I tried looking up strategies on how to beat them after failing to figure it out (they can be kind of cryptic). However, as it is nigh impossible to find a whole lot of information on Galidor online, especially when it comes to the GBA game, the only real guide I could find was a Let’s Play on YouTube, which I only ever used for the aforementioned boss fights. Gorm is especially tough to beat, given that the fight is in three stages that you must go through on a single life bar. With some aid from the Let’s Play on the first two sections, I was able to eventually get through the fight, though it did take me a little bit to figure out exactly how to get past the second part (Tip: using the D-Pad creates momentum after you jump out of the water). However, with some perseverance, I was able to make it through, which gave me an adrenaline rush the closer I got to beating Gorm, which lasted until I finally beat the game.

A sample of gameplay (planet Arbo pictured).

Across each level, excluding boss battles but including the 3D levels, you can also pick up canisters of Qorium, used to power the Egg in the series, of which there are 100. Picking up all 100 in a level nets you a Qorium Bonus; while this does create some replay value, every time you retry a level, the amount of Qorium you find in each level resets, forcing you to search all over for all the Qorium. As I only got all the Qorium in the first level after a couple of tries, I quickly stopped trying to do so after a few levels for the sake of getting through the game faster, so I’m not quite sure what the Qorium Bonus is supposed to be. (As a side note, you can also get a bonus for getting through the level fast enough, but for all the non-3D levels I could never get a time that wasn’t “Way Too Slow”.)

There are also four interactions with the Kek Powerizer toy (Intruder Alert, Shields, Tracking, Road Rocket) that you can obtain over the course of the game in one way or another, usually by finding them in a level or completing a world, the last of which I got for defeating Gorm (getting these interactions eventually became one of my main motivations for completing the game, along with the satisfaction of beating Gorm). The interactions are meant to work by having the GBA next to the toy, which also extends to interactivity occurring during regular gameplay. Unfortunately, even after unearthing the Kek Powerizer sometime after completing the game, I wasn’t quite able to get it to work, but it seems like the four particular interactions may have been to unlock games on the toy, which had already been unlocked (possibly via interaction with the TV series).

This is the Kek Powerizer, in case you were wondering,
which also has swappable parts.

While I don’t have much experience playing on a Game Boy Advance, I would say that the graphics are pretty good for what they are. There’s enough detail that you can tell what everything is supposed to be, and the game has a bright color palette that works in its favor, allowing you to see everything pretty clearly so you can more easily navigate the level. The sound design, for what it’s worth, is decent. There isn’t any voice acting, but there are a few music tracks that play during levels and menus. I got used to the music after a while, and admittedly it stays with you a little while after you beat the game, but it’s generally not really anything to write home about.

Overall, Galidor: Defenders of the Outer Dimension is a decent game. It has interesting gameplay with the Glinching mechanic and there is some variety and replay value, though the music, while somewhat of an acquired taste, isn’t entirely praise-worthy. The level design can get really aggravating after a while, so I suggest keeping the game on at all times while getting through a tough stage, but admittedly being able to beat it on your own skill is mildly satisfying (however, it is extremely satisfying to be able to defeat Gorm on said skill, though I would say it’s okay to get a little bit of assistance). Even though I couldn’t get it to work for me, it’s interesting that the game was made to interact with the Kek Powerizer in the first place, and (now that I think about it) by modern standards is kind of like a reverse-Skylanders (a game adding features to a toy rather than vice-versa).

If, after reading this review, you are interested in seeing what Galidor is like, there unfortunately isn’t a DVD release of any kind, but you might have some luck finding episodes online. If you are someone who remembers this show, this may be the only way for you to be able to become acquainted once again with Galidor aside from the LEGO toys, though I would suggest weighing whether you want to play this game or not if you haven’t played it already. If you are a newcomer to Galidor, I would still consider weighing your options, but in either case the game is worth trying at least once to form your own opinion. If you own the Kek Powerizer from the toy line and you can get the interactivity to kick in, this game is perfect for getting more mileage out of it. For what it’s worth, I’m still glad I got to play the game, since it may be the only chance I get to reconnect with Galidor for a long while without having to dig out the toys.

The Lego Movie Videogame - Also Awesome!!!

There are two track records to keep in mind: that of Traveller’s Tales and that of movie-licensed games in general. Movie-licensed games tend to be very abysmal in their playability, as they are very often rushed out the door, usually with a development time of only a few months, so that the release can coincide with the movie. Traveller’s Tales, on the other hand, is well-known for their Lego adaptation games, having started with Lego Star Wars in 2005. They’ve done other projects, but at this point the Lego games are their main output and, having played the Star Wars games, are very fun to play. So when you combine Traveller’s Tales with a license for The Lego Movie, there’s a natural uncertainty in being able to pull it off considering how movie-licensed games usually turn out. Having said that, I think that The Lego Movie Videogame, while not without faults, is surprisingly fun considering that it’s a Lego game based on only one film.

I don’t really need to touch upon the story, since it’s pretty much the same thing as The Lego Movie; they even use clips from the movie as cutscenes during the Story Mode, complete with the original voice track. However, I can say that the story is preserved pretty well and though it omits a few scenes, they still managed to make it feel like the movie. There’s dialogue that obviously wasn’t from the source, but the sense of humor in the script feels so much like the movie that it doesn’t feel out of place.

Each of the game’s 15 levels, plus the Prologue, takes a specific moment from the movie and expands it into a playable level. The ways in which this is accomplished are varied enough that there isn’t a dull moment. Apart from standard levels where characters explore the environment across a semi-linear path, there are also driving or shooting stages, each with their own goals, though the levels which allowed more freedom of movement were more enjoyable. The final boss is also reasonably difficult even though death is pretty much a slap on the wrist like in other Lego games.

There is a good amount of replay value through the Free Mode, in which you can replay any level but with any character you wish. Going through the Free Mode can allow for more of a chance to achieve certain goals, such as The Special (gained for collecting a certain amount of Studs in a level), or obtain Golden Manual Pages or pairs of Pants. Golden Manual Pages allow one to build certain objects in a Bonus Room at the end of the game and Pants, which can be swapped in a Dispanster in the hub worlds, can grant additional powers to compatible characters. Completing these goals awards the player Gold Bricks which add to the completion percentage, with 100% completion giving a feeling of satisfaction.

It started out so simply...

Additional replay value can be found in the hub worlds, which feature heavily destructible environments and a few side quests, the completion of which awards the player with a Red Brick that they much purchase with Studs (the currency used in the Lego games). When the player obtains a Red Brick, they unlock certain cheat codes which add interesting effects to the game, including Stud multipliers or locators for Pants and Golden Manual Pages. These modifiers are actually pretty fun to use, especially since they make the levels easier to complete, though naturally you can have them turned off for an additional challenge.

While the game is fun, it’s generally pretty easy overall. The story moves at a pretty quick pace, although it took me a couple days to beat it, and the Platinum trophy wasn’t too difficult to get, but still required a good amount of time and perseverance. Over the course of the game, you can also unlock additional characters, for a total of over 90, by playing the story or spending Studs and inputting certain cheat codes. Some of the later characters feel a little overpowered, as they contain certain ability combinations that make playing through story levels even easier.

A couple other things to mention would be the co-op and a major glitch I came across. The drop-in, drop-out co-op allows for a second player to join the game quite easily and can make the experience even more enjoyable (my brother and I actually played co-op for the entire game), although certain actions like building according to a set of instructions was made a little more difficult due to two people aiming for the same pieces. As for the glitch, while my brother and I were in Free Mode, we played the first level with all cheats activated. We went along just fine until one particular event occurred, namely a dancing section. Our characters were supposed to join in with the NPCs during this time, but this event was skipped and the dancing continued indefinitely. The only way to remedy this was to restart the console and try the level again with all cheats turned off, although we ran into an additional error on the same level where the game stopped working for some reason. This error thankfully never came up again, though I wish that Traveller’s Tales had done some more testing on the game to iron out bugs like this before shipping it out.

The graphics are very accurate to Lego bricks and the color palette is very bright and fun. Everything is very distinct from each other, although it’s a little easy to get mixed up when using similar-looking characters. Visual effects are also very good and show off the capabilities of the PS4 pretty well. Certain sounds are repeated from previous Lego games, but they never really get tiring, and the voice acting is actually very good. None of the voice actors from the movie reprise their roles in the game, though when you compare the performances in the game proper to those found in the movie footage, the game has very spot-on impressions to where you can hardly tell the difference, if at all. I also like the soundtrack, as it fits in perfectly well with the mood, especially the more upbeat tracks that match the fun atmosphere, though be prepared to hear plenty of remixes of “Everything is Awesome!!!”

The graphics fit in very well with the game's tone.

Whether or not you’ve played a Lego game before, The Lego Movie Videogame is an experience I can safely recommend. It helps to see The Lego Movie first though, since the story is coherent, but feels a little incomplete without the additional context. Aside from that though, the game is very fun to play, especially with an additional person, and the experience is very hard to leave behind, even though it’s a bit familiar to those who have played previous Lego games. This is a movie-licensed game that is actually very good and I wish that other studios would take this level of care into crafting one.

Bionicle Heroes (PS2)

As I mentioned in my review of The LEGO Movie, LEGO was a big part of my life growing up. What I did not mention, however, was that, within that time, I was a big fan of LEGO’s Bionicle franchise, about a group of heroes called Toa who fight evil while wearing masks that grant the wearer superpowers, throughout most of its lifespan. My interest in Bionicle began when I first learned of its existence during a trip to LEGOLAND, which also happened to be when the franchise was just getting off the ground. Through getting the original toys and reading the DC comic book (which happened to be the first comic book I ever really got into) via LEGO Club Magazine subscriptions, I eventually amassed a large collection of toys and various media, which included the aforementioned comics, novels, mini-comics (through McDonald’s and Lunchables), a card game, board games, video games, trading cards (I ate a lot of Mighty Kids meals to get those), Happy Meal toys, DVD movies, clothes, Halloween costumes, and shoes (yes, shoes, with interchangeable masks; though sandals also existed, I never worn those). For a while, I was somewhat of an expert in Bionicle, even knowing bits of lore and the fictional Matoran written language by heart. I even ended up attending a few Bionicle meetings at the now-defunct Imaginarium, the first of which I coincidentally happened to be there for and the last of which happened to fall on my birthday (I attended anyway). However, as I grew older, my interest in the franchise began to wane over time, which happened to be during the final stretch of the series’ 9 ½-year lifespan, and one of the last pieces of merchandise I got before stopping completely was the fourth and final DVD feature, The Legend Reborn. Since then, my knowledge of the series lore faded over time, but I never forgot how much the Bionicle franchise meant to me growing up.

Around the release of The LEGO Movie, since I knew there was a tie-in game to said movie, I had the sudden urge to play a LEGO game, particularly one by Traveller’s Tales, who made the acclaimed LEGO Star Wars series of games and said movie tie-in. Of the games I had on hand, between Bionicle Heroes and LEGO Star Wars: The Complete Saga, I decided to go with the former, since I had played that one before and I wanted to give into said urge in a shorter time frame. As I played it, my Bionicle knowledge rather quickly came rushing back to me, even if it was just bits and pieces of the story here and there. While Bionicle Heroes does not adhere to said story at all, I still got a kick out of playing it, though admittedly it’s not without problems.

The story, as it goes, is that you take the role of the Toa Inika, having washed ashore on the island of Voya Nui, and must defeat the evil Piraka, who have taken control of the island. This is all there is to the story until you finish the game, and even then you must not only 100% the game, but also unlock every collectible (more on that later). While the main story itself is rather paper-thin, some semblance of a narrative plays out in cutscenes before and after levels, but overall it isn’t very gripping (though the cutscenes can be somewhat amusing at times, so it’s not a total loss).

The Toa Inika (from left): Hahli, Kongu (back), Nuparu, Matoro, Hewkii (back), Jaller.

In relation to the overall Bionicle franchise, however, I feel I should bring up how the story of this game does not really adhere very much to the larger mythos, although it does prominently feature the Piraka and Toa Inika, who were the main toys at the time of release. Still, while playing for the first time, I did notice that some characters that appear in the game, particularly as bosses and normal enemies, seemed rather out of place for what the game was trying to represent; for instance, two of the game’s bosses, Roodaka and Sidorak, were only present chronologically for when the Toa Metru/Hordika were previously prominent in the toyline, while regular enemies like the Bohrok hadn’t been seen on shelves since the very first set of Toa, retroactively called the Toa Mata, were the main focus (not to mention the Rahkshi, a group of bosses in the game, which were also from the same Bionicle era as the Bohrok). This is just a few things that don’t line up with the established fiction, not getting into the canon mask powers of the Toa Inika (which, to be honest, I had to look up for reference due to lack of memory). However, taken on its own, this unique interpretation of the series canon helps make it more of a stand-alone title, although I can definitely see how the departure from the fiction would upset a more die-hard Bionicle fan.

Gameplay is similar in many ways to LEGO Star Wars, one of them being that each playable character has a unique power. Hewkii, for instance, is able to make/activate constractions (sic) where applicable and Matoro is able to zoom in to attack from a distance or activate switches. The Toa Inika also gain more abilities when you fully upgrade them, such as Kongu being able to jump at designated areas and Jaller being able to burn down plants blocking your path. Once you defeat a Piraka boss, you also gain the ability to play as them during their respective levels and unlock special areas; defeating the final boss, Vezon, also allows you to play as him and interact with black LEGO pieces to make special constractions (sic), though being able to play as him overrides every playable Piraka (fortunately, he can also unlock Piraka-based areas, but it’s still somewhat of a letdown). You can also gather LEGO pieces in a level; getting enough of them puts you into Hero Mode, during which you are invincible until you create a gold constraction (sic). You can also use any LEGO pieces you have gathered to upgrade your Toa, as well as unlock special bonus areas and content, including stuff for the Piraka Playground area (which can lead to some rather humorous cutscenes).

Scattered throughout each level are Silver and Gold Canisters, some of which can only be accessed via Piraka powers or Toa upgrades; gathering all of the Silver Canisters unlocks an enemy that can be viewed in certain areas of the hub world and finding Gold Canisters in each level unlocks a Bionicle item that can be viewed in the Trophy Room, each of which has a small bio to go along with it that fills you in on the mythos of Bionicle (though basic knowledge of its lore allows you to spot a couple of errors, they are otherwise very accurate). There are also a number of in-game achievements you can acquire throughout the game, for which the ones tied to level completion have different completion levels depending on how much of the level you explored, which offers a little bit of replay value once you upgrade the Toa or defeat more Piraka.

The Piraka (from left): Avak, Zaktan, Hakann, Vezok, Thok, Reidak.

One major difference to the LEGO Star Wars formula though is that, rather than being a third-person platformer, Bionicle Heroes is more of an over-the-shoulder third-person shooter, which gives it a different feel than your average Traveller’s Tales LEGO game. While this is an interesting change of pace for the developer’s LEGO games, the level design is often very linear, forcing you more or less to go along a set path to the exit. Though it can take a little while, the game is also very easy to get through, in part due to the aforementioned Hero Mode, but also having to do with how easy it can be to restore health. Each playable character has a number of hearts that go down when attacked, though upgrades can add armor for increased resistance, and getting hearts from enemies restores part of your health (sometimes you can get a golden heart that restores all of your health). You can also gather Kanohi masks, which not only gives access to more Toa (which can be switched at will), but also restores all of your health. There is some difficulty added, however, in that losing a mask, which occurs when a Toa loses every heart, can be fatal since you can only gain certain masks at certain locations, and you can’t get most of them back during boss fights. However, this is somewhat counterbalanced by having particular masks available at sections where said masks are required to get through, which only moves the game back to being mostly easy.

Another thing about the gameplay that I find to be more of a complaint is this: the inability to scroll through menus in more than one direction when using certain inputs. When scrolling through Toa/Piraka during levels to play as, you have a choice of using the L1 and R1 buttons or using the Triangle button (I played the PS2 version), the latter of which you may end up using more since, when using the mentioned shoulder buttons, only R1 seems to actually work. Something similar occurs when using the D-Pad to scroll through other menus, in that only the Right and Down buttons seemed to ever work, prompting me to mainly use the Left Analog Stick as an alternate method to navigate those menus (much thumb pain was caused as a result, on top of said Stick being required to move around levels). I wasn’t sure if it was the controller at first, but I remember being able to play other games like the PS2 God of War entries without any problem, so I have to assume it came down to faulty programming.

The graphics are decent for a game released in 2006, being part of the gradual progression in graphical capabilities of Traveller’s Tales’ LEGO games over time. The character designs are actually fairly accurate representations of Bionicle toys released up to the Voya Nui saga, with some minor liberties taken such as giving applicable characters hands. Weapons that characters hold are also accurate representations of the toys’ weapons, though again with some minor liberties taken in their general appearances. The environments of each level are actually pretty nice to look at, distracting somewhat from the linear layouts of each area.

Hero Mode in action.

The music in the game is actually pretty good, with level sets standing out by featuring a different genre of music that fits the setting. The boss battle music is actually pretty epic, with normal encounters in a level changing the background music to indicate danger, and each bit of background music is able to loop without becoming distracting. However, all of that is usually overridden when you go into Hero Mode, which has its own (good) blanket theme, though if you’re in a tight spot it can actually be just what you want to hear in that moment. The Matoran Enclave (the hub world) and Piraka Playground each have their own themes that stand out as well, though, admittedly, one of my favorite bits of music from the game is what plays during the end-of-level screen (where everything you collect is counted up), since it’s actually pretty catchy.

As for voice acting, or lack thereof, characters for the most part, including Toa, speak primarily in grunts, with every Toa sharing one dialogue pool during cutscenes (including Hahli, a female Toa, who sounds masculine when you see the grunts applied to her). There only appears to be one character with actual spoken dialogue, namely a Matoran who speaks to you in the beginning and ending cutscenes (the latter of which you must get 100% completion and collect everything in every level to see), but I haven’t seen a proper voice acting credit for the Matoran in either the manual or the game itself. In any case, the performance was decent for what it was.

Bionicle Heroes is a rather interesting LEGO game. It takes the LEGO Star Wars formula and makes changes to suit the Bionicle theme, though the level design is rather linear and it’s not exactly an accurate representation of Bionicle lore. Still, the music is good and there’s some replay value present in the various collectibles. However, much like a trip to Universal Studios Hollywood, once you do everything you want to do, there isn’t really anything left to do. Fans of LEGO games even after LEGO Star Wars would get some enjoyment out of this game, and this game provides some differences to appeal to fans of Traveller’s Tales’ LEGO games that want something different. However, this is not exactly a game for the die-hard Bionicle fan, particularly since the game ignores the lore altogether while crafting a new stand-alone story from the mythos. In either case, playing this game may make the player want to, depending on the situation, seek out or revisit their Bionicle toys and fiction.

The LEGO Movie - Everything Is Awesome!!!

LEGO has been a big part of growing up for me, as I would play with various sets a lot, and I would even play some LEGO games on PC (and, later, other systems). While LEGO has become less a part of my life over time, I still like seeing well-crafted LEGO creations and certain available sets pique my interest. The closest I have come to actually playing with them again lately is through Hasbro’s Kre-O Transformers sets, but we’re not here to talk about the competition; we’re talking about LEGO here. With my history with LEGO in mind, I was surprised to learn about The LEGO Movie through a trailer. I wasn’t sure about seeing it at first, but after the movie’s premiere, I decided I needed to see it after hearing about its positive reception, in addition to it seeming like a movie people would be talking about. While my experience with the movie wasn’t exactly the best (I don’t think the theater I went to had the movie loud enough), I nevertheless ended up enjoying it.

The movie begins with Lord Business (Will Ferrell) attempting to get his hands on a weapon known as the Kragle as a wizard named Vitruvius (Morgan Freeman) tries to stop him. Vitruvius is blinded by Lord Business in the process, allowing Business to get away with the weapon, but Vitruvius suddenly states a prophecy about the “Special” who will stop Business’ plans using an item called the Piece of Resistance. Not believing him, Lord Business kicks Vitruvius down a chasm. 8 ½ years later, in the city of Brickberg, ruled by President Business (Will Ferrell), an ordinary construction worker named Emmet Brickowski (Chris Pratt) goes about his day by following instructions along with everyone else in the city, though while the instructions mention spending time with others who care about him, it becomes evident that he is, in fact, a rather lonely individual. After the construction site Emmet works at has closed for the day, he sees a hooded figure digging through the site. When he is about to report them according to instructions, Emmet sees the figure is a woman and hesitates; Emmet then chases after her as she begins to leave, causing him to fall into a pit. After he lands, he sees a strange red object and, not knowing what instructions say, gives into his temptation to touch it, causing him to see a strange vision. Soon afterwards, Emmet wakes up in a strange room where he is interrogated, causing him to find out more than he ever knew about President Business and what he has just gotten himself into.

I wish not to delve too much into the movie itself, especially in regards to the story, since doing so will create major spoilers about what happens, although I will say that the story is actually pretty well-written and was better than I expected it to be. The animation of the movie is very interesting, in that it is done in CG while still (rather realistically) styled as if it was in stop-motion. This is especially amazing since everything is made up of LEGO bricks and accessories, which leads to a lot of very impressive effects and some creative use of the LEGO setting (I am not spoiling how). The voice acting is also good, with every voice actor displaying a good range of emotion and helping their respective character stand out and become memorable (they are also really good at bringing out certain emotions in you at times). The music also helps with this and is really good in general, including the song “Everything Is Awesome!!!” by Tegan and Sara with The Lonely Island, which is a very catchy song and will not leave your head for a while after you hear it.

The LEGO Movie is not only a good LEGO movie, it is also a great movie in general. The visuals are very interesting to look at, the story and characters are written well, and the movie gets really creative with its setting, which can lead to a great deal of hilarity at times. LEGO fans will definitely have a good time with this, no matter their age or reason for watching it. Even if you’re not a big fan of LEGO, just watching the movie may make you want to play with a set or two afterwards. My experience with the movie probably wasn’t the best, so I will likely be trying to watch it again on home video to make sure I catch everything, but despite that I had a really good time with it and I wouldn’t mind wanting to see it again. In short, as the movie says, everything is awesome.