Bionicle Heroes review (Xbox 360)

But would this be as much of a success as the other LEGO titles, or will it be a case of one step to far for TT Games? It depends on your age really.

LEGO is for kids. It’s an undeniable fact. The only reason the Star Wars games did so well and won so many awards was because yes it was a good game, but adults could play the games and enjoy them because they grew up around Star Wars and then the 18 to 20 year olds grew up around the release of the last 3 releases.

The cut scenes in the games were funny because it was like watching a spoof of one of the best trilogies ever made. The games did have their problems, but all in all were good and enjoyable to play. But this is something Bionicle Heroes doesn’t have. That feeling of wanting to come back to it and play more.

All about the Kids

Quite simply the reason is that this is not a game aimed at the adults or the teenagers. It’s a game aimed at the kids that are playing with the toy version of Bionicle Heroes. The cut scenes and comic moments just aren’t funny to an adult or teenager. There is the occasional bit that you’ll find your self chuckling at but it isn’t often.

The controls are also simple and seem to be aimed at children as there is never too much to do. Anything that can be changed or used in the Bionicle world glows and lets you know which TOA (the good guys) or Piraka (the bad guys) character will do the action. A simple press of the relevant button, or buttons as is sometimes needed, will execute the action.

Shooting is simple as well. Again, pressing one button starts your character shooting and your character will also automatically aim at the nearest Piraka enemy. This sometimes can be a bad thing however. In fact, when ever you get to the boss, it’s a very bad thing. The game uses an auto aim system. As soon as an enemy comes into range you will be locked on.

It is not too much of a problem when you have two or three enemies to destroy, but when you do come to the boss, there is the boss and between 10 and 20 of the little enemies. It is more frustrating rather than difficult getting the lock off one enemy and onto another. But kids get bored quickly and if things aren’t going their way, or the game isn’t doing what they want, like the aiming system has a tendency to do, you could find one frustrated kid turning it off.

Repetition repetition

If you’re not put off by the terrible camera angles in the game, then you may well be by the repetitive nature of it. Each level is basically the same. You have an objective to complete and have to destroy most things that stand in your way, as well, if you wish, collect gold and silver canisters to unlock extra things. But this is all you do.

There seems to be no real story behind the game. You basically do the same thing through out each zone having to complete each one to kill the main boss once more to complete the game. It won’t take long to complete the game either as each zone will take around an hour to complete. So the completion of the game can easily be done in a week or so, and that’s if you don’t play the game for long periods.

I say complete the game, but just like the LEGO Star Wars games, there are other things that can be done. Free Play allows you to take your TOA back into any level to try and get the canisters that you missed, either because you just didn’t see them or because you needed a specific character or ability to get to it.

Playing in the garden

There is also one of the most pointless features in a game I have ever seen to try and keep you playing. Once you have defeated a Piraka, they can be found in the Piraka garden. With the LEGO pieces you collect throughout the game, you can buy things to put in the garden for your Piraka to enjoy.

An example being a deck chair. They have no real use except for a little bit of comic value which the kids may find funnier than the adults. There are also extra ‘secret’ levels that can be bought and found in the garden as well which does give the game a little bit of extra life. However, these are short and the extra life won’t last very long. They appear to be there for the gamer points, helping you get those last few achievements.

All in all this is an average game that will have more appeal to the kids that the LEGO sets are aimed at. The game looks good, but is let down by a poor camera control system and the music is simply woeful.

Coupled with the repetitive game play it adds up to a game that will more than likely end up in the sale and pre owned sections very quickly. I wouldn’t even advise a rental of the game. You will more than likely become board and not play on it again until it is time for it to go back to the rental store. Bionicle Heroes is simply for the kids, or for those people who want the really easy Gamer Points.