BIONICLE HEROES

E3 2006 First Look Preview

Traveller’s Tales (TT Games) has been one very busy development studio. They’ve been hard at work on the sequel to LEGO Star Wars, and just recently it was announced that they are also working on a title based on the new Bionicle line of building blocks. Titled Bionicle Heroes, the new game is a third-person shooter that shares some of the same building elements being introduced in LEGO Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy.

One of the first things I was told was that TT Games designed the levels to get kids to think. They wanted them to look at the scenario, analyze it, think about the requirements, and make the right decision.

You’ll take control of a young hero made of LEGO blocks. He leaves the real world to visit Bionicle, a dangerous universe that should not be taken lightly. Nonetheless, he goes for some reason, and that’s how your adventure begins.

The game is played from a third-person perspective, but the camera is close to make the game feel more intense. Resident Evil 4 did this effectively in a horror setting, and now it seems that Bionicle Heroes is pulling it off in a family-friendly environment.

That’s another point Eidos and TT Games wanted to stress: there are not any deaths, nor is there any blood in this game. When your health meter is completely depleted, you lose your blocks, not an actual life. You have the option to re-spawn in the location that you died, lowering the frustration level caused by games that don’t have a check point system.

Enemies are made of LEGO as well – when you shoot them, they don’t “die,” they just lose their blocks. Graphics are cool and colorful and very inspired. Levels are comprised of realistic landscapes, while every interactive object is made of several LEGO pieces. Destroying and/or manipulating the pieces will lead to several interesting effects.

Due to hit stores in time for Christmas, Bionicle Heroes is shaping up to be the best family-friendly shooter of the year. Look for it on PS2, GameCube, Xbox, PC, Nintendo DS, and the Game Boy Advance.
 

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