This may not even be a point of discussion for most people, but I’m curious as to people’s thoughts on MNOG vs MNOGII. Personally I’ve always preferred the second MNOG, maybe because of nostalgia; I wasn’t a Bionicle fan when the first game was a thing. I still have very vivid memories of running around Ga-Koro collecting shells and plants to make flax.
Even when I played through MNOG a few weeks ago, I think it is a less interesting game than MNOGII. MNOG had more emphasis on the quest, which is cool, but I like playing the simple day-to-day life of the Matoran in the second game. It gives way more insight into the culture of Mata Nui, and there’s more stuff to do/explore.
I like both games a lot, but personally my favourite is MNOG II.
I say this because you can do what you want (basically), as opposed to being on a set one way or the other kind of quest
I also prefer using the matoran from MNOG II and 2003 due to them being rebuilt and more proper size (I acutally used them as a template for my rp character Kāpeti)
I prefer MNOG over MNOG II, and that is simply because when you play MNOG, you feel as if you/takua are actually influencing the over-arching story. The creation of the first MNOG also has a neat history. It is difficult to compare the two because they are very different from each other. I have more memories tied to the first, as that was the first bionicle game I played, I played it around 2010 for the first time.
Punch for punch I think MNOG 2 has more than its predecessor. The mechanics are more than just pointing a clicking (though nobody will say Kolhii is perfect) and the choices you make in dialogue actually do affect the world. I always felt more active with Hahli as opposed to the passiveness conveyed with Takua.
MNOG II was probably a better game, but it was too much of a grind and it took forever to get anywhere. Also the mini games in MNOG II were hard for me. Pole balancing. Urgh. I liked all the puzzle mysteries.
MNOG suffers a bit from being too simple and straightforward, but there is a lot of cool set pieces in there, like that cool tunnel thing that Takua goes down at the end. I also liked the flute and the bird in MNOG that you can call to go places. The bird is adorable.
They should have brought back the bird for MNOG II. #birdforMNOG2 Make it happen.
Mnog has a better story, seeing a matoran’s perspective of the Toa, building the world from the start, and a much better ending.
MNOG II is, as Fishers said, a better game, though not without its flaws (the broken currency system comes to mind), but the story is mediocre at best, and the ending… Is awful.
As someone who prefers a good story over pointless gameplay, I prefer MNOG. But they both have their appeal.
I prefer MNOGII. It was simply put, more fun to play. The original MNOG, felt more like a semi interactive animation. The Second MNOG, felt more like an actual game.
I always thought I was in the minority for liking MNOG II over MNOG; but it seems that may not be the case. I definitely don’t deny what MNOG did for the series at its beginning though.
I do prefer MNOG for it’s atmosphere and storytelling, personally. That being said, while MNOGII always felt a bit too slow-paced and grindy to me, I do feel it wins from an objective standpoint due to having more content and helping flesh out the island and culture in greater detail than MNOG was able to. It really comes down to what you’re looking for, I think, and Bionicle would have lost a lot if either of them had failed to come out.
When I was a kid, I always enjoyed playing MNOG2 over MNOG. I think it was mainly that the world felt more alive in MNOG2, with you being able to go far off the beaten path if you wanted to, and seeing the Matoran actually move around and do their stuff. MNOG was just too linear and point-and-click for me to really get into. That said, MNOG2 really was grind-heavy. Plus all the glitches.
Haven’t played either in ages, but if I had to choose, I’d probably play MNOG2 again, just purely for that nostalgia.
As a Myst fan, MNOG obviously appeals super heavy to me. I’d argue it has less replay value than MNOG 2 - there’s less gameplay, it’s more like an interactive movie - but like a good movie, that you want to go back to and enjoy again. I enjoy MNOG at least as much, if not more, than the actual Bionicle movies.
I never got to play it in '01, but I imagine the episodic release system would have been something to experience, too.
MNOG 2 had the potential to be a better game, but it wasn’t. Length was added by putting incredibly slow grind everywhere, rather than adding new content. There was enough there to be a fun game, but if you played it properly, it would take probably a literal week of gameplay to finish, and that’s insane given the lack of diversity in the actual content. I could have loved this game, but I don’t. Also Hahli’s dialogue makes her seem incredibly unintelligent, which is frustrating given that it’s her first appearence.
The story is flat-out more bland - it’s just a Kolhi tournament with a crystal hunting minigame and a Mask of Light trailer slapped on the end, while in MNOG you really felt as if you were part of the world, and it effectively introduces all the villages in a non-formulaic way. And it climax’s really well - you can feel the tension as the rahi attacks pick up when you gather the company, and the fight with Makuta belongs in a movie (plus, the game’s art style made it almost look like a pseudo-anime, and that sequence has aged incredibly well for a 2001 flash game).
But I also agree with the sentiment that VNOG is a massively underrated game, although it’s a very different beast and I wouldn’t be able to compare it with MNOG. (Maybe with MNOG 2, in which case, VNOG is leagues better. )
I have to agree with Toa-of-Snow here, MNOG is the better game hands down in my book.
I have never been able to complete MNOG II, neither as a child or as an adult. As a kid the struggle with dial up internet made MNOG II’s slower pace, grindy mechanics, and less interesting story insufferable. As an adult, even though I have much faster internet now I still can’t swallow MNOG II’s meandering pace. The type of RPG-like grind it has can be frustrating in a Triple-A video game like Fallout sometimes (think Fallout 4 and the hunt for more aluminium cans just to keep power armor in decent condition for example), but in MNOG II as a flash game its insufferable.
And the sense of “click something and watch” is there in MNOG II… I have rarely visited any of the outlying villages beyond Ga-Koro because so many scenes are inter-cut with just Hahli walking down paths. Watching Hahli’s walk cycle for screen after screen through empty landscapes is boring. Maybe if there was some random generated events it would be more palatable… but as it is in the finished game it really is just a animation walk cycle simulator.
MNOG in comparison is quick, breezy and wonderful simplicity. A few simple puzzles might not seem super engaging, but the quick pace allows the story to shine. MNOG’s story is excellent; and I remember being a kid entranced by Gali’s Tarakava fight, Tahu’s introduction to the Tohunga, Pohatu facing off against the Nui-Jaga… etc. The fact the game is so short makes it a perennial favorite to return to. If I have a slow day at work I can open MNOG into a second tab, and have enough time to play the game during idle time and go from the Ta-Koro beach all the way to the Mangaia by the end of my work day.
In my opinion, MNOG is proof that sometimes simple gameplay and basic mechanics create wonderful experiences. MNOG II just feels bloated in comparison to me, often coming across as “Flax Simulator 2003” when I play it.
Count me in, I also think MNOG1 is a much better game.
While MNOG1 isn’t necessarily great from the pure gameplay perspective, I think the simple gameplay is servicable enough for the kind of game that MNOG is. If anything, it’s intuitive and straightforward, which helps to push the game’s actual strengths (such as the atmosphere, storytelling and presentation) to the forefront. MNOG2, on the other hand, is the complete antithesis of MNOG1 - it tries to mask the lack of substance in the story department with the more typical TPP point’n’click formula, as well as tons of grinding, fetch quests and empty screens. The story, as I said, is pretty poor, with its severe lack of stakes and awkward, I mean awkward attempts at crossing paths with the Mask of Light storyline. I can’t help but feel that MNOG2 could’ve been a much more enjoyable game if it wasn’t for the misguided attempts to one-up the original, which left the end product feel bloated.
While I’m fond of MNOG II, the original definitely beats it out for me. MNOG II mostly has nostalgia for me - I remember finding it online as a kid and working my way through the game’s opening right up until the game bugged out and I was trapped in a Ga-Wahi field for the rest of eternity. Still, I think the opening of the game is quite fun - plenty of people to talk to, tons of stuff to explore and find, even some stuff to do in terms of solving puzzles to navigate the rest of the village after the storm. But after that… it’s just boring. Finding the secret locations with all of the charms and gems was interesting, but the majority of the gameplay is so bland that I tend to forget this part of the game even exists.
MNOG, while technically having less to do, delivers on a better overall experience. The puzzles are fun, dialogue feels more engaging than the endless mundane questions of MNOG II (probably because there’s no Kohlii or trading system to explain), and the cutscene animations are spaced consistently throughout the game and are always fun to watch. I just have more fun playing MNOG than its sequel, and objective counts of content or gameplay mechanics have nothing to do with that.
type “kapura” while playing, a frame rate monitor will appear on your screen. then type “8” to refresh the section of game you are in. it fixes most glitches
Huh. Good to know. This was something that happened years ago, though, back when the game was up on the main Bionicle site when I was a kid. I think that version of Hahli is stuck in that field forever.
I was looking for a list of items in mnog II when I found that. there are more things you can do with the kapura thing, but 8 is the most useful
It actually helped me a lot with getting to ta and le koro. basically when I get to where they should be, I would get stuck there and couldnt leave (plus the ta koro bridge didnt spawn) so after learning about the kapua thing, I tried it.
it works
Definitely can’t disagree here. But Takua had very similar dialogue in MNOG, albeit under the thin veil of amnesia. For people like us who probably know quite a bit about the lore, it seems pointless, but for new players it makes a lot of sense.
Quote of the year right here lol. I definitely see where you’re coming from though. The reasons I prefer MNOG II are very nostalgic; had I played MNOG first, it would likely be my favorite. But at the same time, I feel MNOG II did a lot more for worldbuilding on Mata Nui than MNOG did.
To be fair, I’ve never actually finished MNOG II, only MNOG. The reason being that as a kid, the game was super glitch heavy. I only just finished MNOG for the first time two or three weeks ago and am currently working through II right now.
Takua asked questions such as “What as a Rahi?” or “Who is Turaga Vakama?” like you would expect someone forgetful to say.
Hahli just goes “Rahi?” “Vakama?” as if she’s faulty recording software.
Takua also occasionally makes proactive gestures like “Yes, I will help you!” and showing items to people. For the mountains more dialogue options Hahli has, I think the only non-question statement she has is “I am ready to play the team from ___-Koro”, and she repeats it almost word-for-word to all six Turaga.
That’s a totally fair assessment. Although to counter the point about non-question statements (totally nitpicking here lol), there are instances where a Matoran asks for help and Hahli provides a solution. As an example: In Onu-Koro, someone asks for a lightstone and if Hahli has one, she will make the statement: “I have a lightstone.”
Like I said, it’s a nitpick in your argument, but I think it’s still a fair point lol.
