If you look hard enough you can still get the plain, generic pieces. They're just more difficult to find between all the flashy sets and branded stuff. I too p

If you look hard enough you can still get the plain, generic pieces. They're just more difficult to find between all the flashy sets and branded stuff. I too prefer the open-ended play that results from the generic pieces so those are the ones I get for my son and he enjoys them a lot. We once built some huge, complicated robot together, and while the building was very fun, the piece now sits on a shelf (you can't actually play with it as it will fall to pieces instantly).