This topic is very similar to mine Returnees.

If you are going to make a topic that is very similar, at least post something in mine if you have not done so already?

- TheKrow

20 characters? Lol. This thread might require more work than the vast majority of fans are comfortable with. :P But that's okay. I like my work.

Scorpion - Anyone remember when Scorpion was awesome? It was a long time ago, it seems. But what made him awesome? It's because he was a loner. He didn't take crap from anybody. He was MK3's resident "wild card". Well, he's not so wild anymore. In fact, he's been acting rather heroic lately. Randomly attacking the hero of whichever Konquest we're going through at the time does not make him a bad guy. Scorpion needs to be bad to the bone again. He doesn't have to be a villain, but where's that rebel spirit? Where's that fire? Scorpion hasn't caused any trouble for the main heroes in while, and while he may be neutral, he's been rather mediocre lately. He needs to be a character you are just not sure either side could ever trust. Gameplay-wise, I think he's fine though.

Kitana - Kitana captured my heart in MK2. She was beautiful and deadly, mysterious and dangerous. Well, like many others, she's not so mysterious or dangerous anymore. Some of the original MK games were great in terms of character ambiguity. Was Scorpion good or bad? Was the original Sub-Zero good or bad? Was Kitana good or bad? Was Kabal good or bad? We didn't know for a long time. Well, now Kitana's so squeaky-clean she's boring. I like her less as a pretty princess than as the femme fatale she once was. For me, at least, on pure personal preference, she needs to ditch the tiara and jewelry and squeeze that tight body of hers back into an assassin suit.

Kai - What a sad waste of a character. Someone once mentioned that this character is arguably the most honorable and anti-stereotypical black character in fighting game history. Truly, he's a good, good character that just needed a much bigger push. He had a glossed over story in MK4 and was all but ignored in MK: Armageddon, and yet he's still the true heir to Liu Kang's spotlight, and his evolution as a character is almost necessary. It would be sad to cut his potential so short so soon.

Kira - Kira is a character that, IMO, has visual style to spare. She is, really, a good looking character, with a nice combo of fire-red hair and clothing and black leather attire. She reminds me very much of Rayne from Bloodrayne. But, as we all know, she's a clone character. Between Kano's roll attack and Sonya's trademark kiss of death, she's as horrible a clone character as the they come, and yet she's not so far a copy that she can't be saved and given some unique moves to call her own.

Sonya Blade - I like Sonya. I really do. Kerri Hoskins made me like her. But she's become very "unwomanly" as of late since MK:Deadly Alliance. True, she's a badass special forces member, but where-as Ms. Hoskins performed the role with just the right bit of attitude, she mixed in her own smoldering sex appeal. The new Sonya really doesn't have that, aside from the tacky thong and the rather gravity-defying "bazookas" she's packing. Part of that may be the modelers fault, but she went from grade-A babe to a rather frightening, cold, cliche "tough girl" far too quickly. Give her some poise back.

Quan Chi - In my opinion, Quan Chi is the best villain in the series. He may be relatively new, but he's been pulling the strings and screwing up lives longer and better than his fellow villains. And yet, we still don't know much about him. Still, this is the same guy who backstabbed Sub-Zero/Noob Saibot, killed Scorpion's family, tricked Li Mei, enslaved and corrupted Sareena, screwed over Shinnok, helped defeat Liu Kang and Raiden, personally killed Kitana, pissed off Moloch and Drahmin, set up the younger Sub-Zero, beat up Shang Tsung, among so many other things. And yet, while he's always been a big player, he's never really risen up the ranks of power to be on par with someone like Shao Kahn or even Shang Tsung in terms of popularity or story emphasis. Yet, he's by far the most loathesome character in the series.

Mavado - He was a great character back in MK:DA. Then he was dropped like a hot rock and ultimately became a hockey "grunt" lackey instead of a mischevious schemer and organizer like I thought it was. He went from a cool guy in a trench coat who defeated Kabal and stole his hookswords to a guy who Kabal tracked down, beat up, stole his swords back from, and then left for Daegon to boss around and Taven to smack upside the head. They should've gone with him targetting the Lin Kuei as well as the Black Dragon as a threat to his (well, Daegon's) Red Dragon.

Drahmin - Another fairly wasted character, Drahnim benefited from a unique story, unique look, unique weapon, and unique attacks. But he suffered in his moves, become possibly the lowest tier character of MK:DA with almost no combo strings. Still, his interesting past as a deplorable human warlord, his transformation into a disgusting oni, and his subsequent rampage from the netherrealm I believe are deserving of expansion. Just update his movelist so he's not worthless.

Cyrax - Of all the robot ninjas, Cyrax easily has the weakest storyline. While Smoke's being reprogrammed to be an evil demon cyborg by Noob Saibot and to fight his best friend, and Sektor's busy building an army of Japanese robot ninjas, Cyrax is, well, hanging out with Jax and watching Johnny Cage's films while getting into hissy fits with Reptile because he was too dense to see that Nitara was using him. Anyway, his story has suffered quite a bit since he joined the Special Forces (and subsquently got seperated from them) so Cyrax could seriously use some direction in life.

Kobra - Kobra as a character sucks. His visual looks is very vanilla, his fighting style is derivative and copies many other character's moves, and his story itself is rather boring. However, on the plus side, he does have an interesting love/hate relationship with Kira (in his ending, he makes her his queen; in her ending, he kills her), and if he could move past his rather stupid bleached-blonde good looks and karate guy persona, he could become a rather interesting character... but he'd need a lot of work. Still, they could easily adapt him for a more "real" MK game.

Frost - Frost still suffers the stigma of being the "female" Sub-Zero. She was stated from the start to be of inferior power to her "sifu", Sub-Zero, and she was shown from the start to be hot tempered and untrustworthy. But that makes her GOOD. It makes her unpredictable. Her "death" , revival, and subsequent imprisonment certainly hasn't helped her temperment. Still, Frost deserves to be a bit more complicated than just a being another "insane chick who wants power." For sharing the same lineage as Sub-Zero, her past, such as where she came from before MK:DA, how she discovered the Lin Kuei, etc., could use some fleshing out. Oh, and make her hair longer. The spikey hair is all good, but it would look a tad too plastic and unnatural in a more detailed game, so lengthing it might give her more to work with.

Kung Lao - I was convinced he was going to become the next Liu Kang. It never happened. Instead of a supreme victory that would make his friend proud, he wound up getting himself killed and then becoming a relatively non-important character from then on. Still, I'll go on record and say this now: don't retcon Kung Lao into Liu Kang's rival. They were never rivals. End of story. Kung Lao is a man of peace, calm mind, and even temper, not that bastardized version of him running around like an immature teenager in Shaolin Monks.

Kenshi - This is another good character that needs more spotlight. The whole notion of even including a blind swordsman into the game is, quite frankly, inspired. He has a killer look, an original design, a good story, and is a rather interesting wild card, making friends and alliances as he goes along, but his quest for Shang Tsung's blood is hardly original. He needs something more, but he's far too good and likeable to be cast aside and forgotten. Still not too fond of him being drafted into the Special Forces though (though that may be because I'm just not too fond of the Special Forces.)

Li Mei - Li Mei is more than a pretty face, but she's certainly got that too. She's a complex girl whose innocence and spirit got her into trouble. She's changed a lot since then. Last time we heard about her, she was struggling with strange sensations related to her time spent in the corpse of a Dragon King warrior. She was "tainted". Well, whatever happened with that subplot? She certainly became more of a hardened warrior, and her Deception ending had her betraying her friends for Onaga, but by Armageddon, that taint wasn't even so much as mentioned. So, what's going on with our poor tragic heroine lately?

Shinnok - Stupid costume, great story. The fallen elder god has done his fair share of behind-the-scenes scheming, but he hasn't done much else besides that. Personally, I miss his Mythologies days when he would turn into a giant, massive demon and beat you into a bloody pulp. Now, he's content to get his ass kicked by Li Mei and play mindgames with Taven. Step up, buddy. I expect more from a fallen elder god.

Stryker - Good old MK punching bag Stryker. But, c'mon, admit it, he looked pretty cool in Armageddon. Too bad he didn't even have a storyline in Armageddon. So, instead, he remains that stout cop in the cap with the tazer who sucker-punched Mileena in the intro. Still, this guy is a "normal" guy, so shouldn't we, you know, relate to him, some way, some how? Still gotta work on that.

Jarek - Jarek remains my least favorite character. Sure, he got a bit of an upgrade in Armageddon (and a bio explaining how he lived!... hurray for continuity!), but his look remains iffy, his move set uninspired, and his storyline laughable. A good character always needs a strong direction to head in, and Jarek just doesn't have that. So, if he's coming back (unlikely, I know), give him a strong direction to head in, and not something so vague as "I want to hurt people."

Khameleon - I'm sort of upset that the MK team often chooses to treat this special lady like a dirty secret they'd rather forget. Sure, she's not exactly that great of a character in combat, but she provides an interesting bit of chemistry, history, and character development with Reptile, a character sorely in need of it. I still think she should have been in the spot of Chameleon, but, whatever, she remains far more canonical, and far more interesting. Sadly, her relationship with Reptile remains iffy and vague at best.

Dairou - I really don't like Dairou. He's a great fighter in the game, very high tier, but his outfit bothers me. So does his story. His story, to killed Hotaru, has very limited possibilities. But he has a good past, one that almost mirrors Scorpion's, and given the right direction, he could become a very interesting character. As it remains, he's a character with a lackluster appearance, bland name, forgettable moves, and an okay story, but still one with a lot of potential.

Hsu Hao - ha ha, just kidding.

Shao Kahn - I've said it before, but this guy is THE boss of the franchise. He was the best and he hasn't been topped. He's still the best, IMO. Not even Onaga can take that mantle from him. But, he's in dire need of some power. Sure, they explained he got weaker, but when Shao Kahn, the guy who made me waste all those quarters in the arcade so long ago, is "just another guy on the selection screen", that's a bad thing. He's still got tons of potential, a past that's relatively unexplored, and he's still so delightfully incorrigible, as well as a fan favorite. He's got the look, the attitude, and the moves, but he just needs something more than "I want power."

*whew* rants over.

Man, are you kidding me? 20 chars? It's a dream. They're gonna revamp somwhere between 8 or 12 max.
So here's my take:

Scorp and Sub-zero : because they're VIP's! Now, seriously. I think they both should return for the simple fact that are the most loved chars out there. Storywise, Scorp should get deeper into the renegade/loner dude with an attitude problem and sub-zero should expand his storyline. Also they both need an upgraded look, but not to complicated. And keep their masks ON!

Ermac: 'cause I need to feel what's going on with them/him :D, and for the fact that he became such a great character. Keep his look, he's the man.

Quan Chi and Shang Tsung : not as Deadly Alliance but individualists. I put them both here because they're both sorcerers. What can I say? Get Q.Chi more involved with the scorp storyline, give more depth to the events and more twists. He started looking awsome in MKDA so keep him exactly the way he is. I just love him for being purely evil. As for Shangie, dunno, give him a more devilish purpose. Also if midway use Unreal engine 3 they could come up with a cool effect which consists of shang flashing to his older self when hit for 1-2 secs. Really great stuff can be made with these 2.

Raiden - make him transform into Rayden! :)) no, Seriously, explore the whole evil thunder god story. I really love it and it's a shame if you just drop it, or drop him as a character. He should definitely be in!

Shinnok - I still state that he could have been the best mk boss. They just gave him the steal-move routine and make him suck. I absolutely love this boss characters that are not huge or beefed-up like Kahn but averege-sized and mischievous. I'm am deeply sorry for him for not being used more frequently because he pulls the fn strings. Do Shinnok justice and revamp him. Also, his costumes in MKA were awsome.

Mileena,Kitana,Tanya - I don't frequently play with female fighters, and I dunno why but I sincerely think these 3 are the best from the bunch. The only reason why I'm not a mk female player is probably because they all look like whores. So if they want me/or many others to like the dudettes, they should make them more decent (not meaning to cover them from tip to toe but mileena's alt costume... COME ON).

That's it. Cheers

sorry about the number of character size but i was bored. great responses galador and the others.

I can't think of 20 characters, so instead I'm going to concentrate a nice long rant on just one character.....my girl, Kitana. Shock of shocks, right? Anyway, if Kitana is to return, she is due for an overall revamp. I wouldn't go so far as to say she's completely stale...but she has at least run out of steam as she currently is. If she's to continue on, she needs a good fine-tuning all around.


Design
First, I think Kitana can use a revamped look. All the years she's been around, she's yet to go very far from the blue bathing suit. I love the bathing suit as much as the next guy, but let's see something new on her. The popular thing to say is she should dress more "regal" or maybe more "decent." Fuck that. For starters, if Kitana's going to come back, they need to tone down the whole "royalty" thing. Kitana should look like a bad ass warrior, ready for a fight....not like she's getting ready to go to a ball. I'm not saying Kitana should start dressing like Mileena or anyhing like that, but the whole "decency" thing....piss on that noise.

As for what? Well maybe like something in this direction. Or this. I realize she's still technically wearing a blue bathing suit in the first one and the second one looks similar (and yes, she did kill Spider-Man )...but that's more-or-less the direction I'd like to see her go. Something simple and sexy, yet elegant. I also want Kitana to keep her absurdly long hair. I like that about her....just no hairbuns. Hairbuns are the devil's work.

And a final note on design about her fans. The fans she has now are cool looking...but my problem with them is, aside from the blades, they look like they're made of cloth. I think they should keep her fans looking fancy and all...but I would prefer the make them look more metallic again.


Special Moves
Kitana could also use a revamp in her moves department. She's had pretty much the same moves in every game she's been in. I'm not saying they should get rid of the Fan Throw and Fan Lift...those are her trademarks...but I would like to see some new moves. The fans really are a cool and unique weapon...I'd like to see what else can be done with them aside from a throw, a lift, and a slash. Some of the moves she did in her boss battle in Shaolin Monks were pretty cool. I'm no good at thinking up moves, but I do want to see what else can be done with the fans.

I would also like it if Kitana got some new special moves that didn't revolve around her fans. It would be nice if we got the impression Kitana has abilities of her own that don't require fans. Like I said, I can't think of moves for shit, but maybe some acrobatic attacks or something. I don't know...I just think it'd be nice if they showed Kitana's has more "powers" than just her fans.


Fatalities
Another aspect of Kitana due for a tune up is her finishing moves. In every game she's been in, she's had essentially the same Fatalities....the Kiss of Death and the Fan Decapitation. They were cool in MKII...but, let's see something new. Like I said before, let's see what else can be done with the fans. I'm no good at thinking up Fatalities either, but I'm sure something new and gruesome can be come up with. Like...off the top of my head...she slits her closed fan into the victim's gut, then opens it and rips it out...thus disemboweling the poor clod.

And I think maybe the Kiss should be given a break. It's kind of lost it's novelty. Or maybe it's just that it's always been the same...she kisses the victim; victim explodes. If they're going to give her the Kiss of Death again, they need to at least do something new with it. Something nasty. Like maybe she kisses the guy...and his skin melts off. Take advantage of the graphics and do something that'd give people nightmares.


Storyline
Okay, now here's where I go into full-on rant mode. In my personal opinion, Kitana has the best storyline in Mortal Kombat. She's an interesting and well-developed character and one of the very few whose actually evolved through the series. However, while I don't think she's as deep in the hole as characters like say Scorpion or Liu Kang, her story has run out of stream. Her current act as Edenia's heroic Princess fighting to save/defend the realm from evil has more than run it's course and is becoming rather redundent. She's become bogged down by the realm and there's a feeling that there's a lot of excess baggage holding her down. Her feud with Mileena has run it's course. And worse, her very title as "Princess" has created this nasty stigma that she's some waify, fragile, Disney girl...as illustrated by Garlador's comments.

If Kitana returns, she needs a whole new direction. And promoting her to Queen sure as shit ain't it. Aside from just being blatantly predictable, if Kitana's story problems stem from her being Edenia's Princess...how the hell is making her Queen going to solve that problem? It won't...it will makes things worse. The solution to Kitana's story problems is to get her away from Edenia altogether. Have her renounce her title and go off on her own...thus, freeing her from the cycling routine of constantly defending Edenia and maybe returning her to her roots as semi-mysterious bad ass warrior.

If one looks at Kitana's storyline from MK:DA to now, one would notice a recurring theme of loss and tragedy. Her war on Shao Kahn's forces reached a stalemate...which greatly frustrated her. This led to Goro's...whom she considered a friend...supposed "death." Just when she thinks her fights over, she learns of the Deadly Alliance and Liu Kang's death. She doesn't finish her training with Bo' Rai Cho and ultimately is killed by Quan Chi...only to enslaved by Onaga and used against her own mother. Now we have Mileena usurping her identity, Shao Kahn still alive, Goro also alive and sided with Kahn again, Liu Kang a zombie, and on top of all this, Armageddon happening right in her home realm.

The troubles are indeed getting to her; Kitana is going through a great deal of stress that is beginning to take its toll on her...as seen in her Unchained ending. If Kitana's first story/character arc, from MKII to MK4, was her rise to Princess of Edenia...her second story/character arc, from MK:DA to Armageddon, could very well be her fall. All it may take is one final crushing blow to send Kitana "over the edge" so to speak.

This final tragedy could be any number of things. As said, Armageddon is happening primarilly in Edenia. I've suggested the complete decimation of Edenia could be a way to wreck Kitana's life. It's her stuck in a sycle of defending Edenia that has started to hold Kitana down...perhaps getting rid of the realm altogether is the proper solution? Would certainly qualify as a crushing blow...if after all the hard work and tribulations she'd gone through to free and restore the realm ultimately were for nothing.

Some people would suggest Mileena's ending should happen and their faces should be switched...and THAT should be the horrible thing that sends Kitana over the edge. Personally, I'm not into that idea at all. I think it drags out the Kitana/Mileena feud because switching their faces immediatly leaves one with a sense that Kitana will/should try to regain her identity from Mileena. If both Kitana and Mileena return, I think they should go their separate ways. I'm also not a fan of Kitana more or less becoming Mileena. And finally, I find the whole prospect of everyone thinking Mileena is Kitana and Kitana desperately trying to prove she's not Mileena.....I just find it very aggravating.

They could go an easier, or more obvious, route with the death of Sindel and/or Jade. Perhaps to add extra nastiness, maybe they could tie that in with the Shao Kahn soul-pledge. As revealed in Shang Tsung's bio, anyone who pledged their soul to Shao Kahn will die when he dies. Kitana, Jade, and Sindel were all loyal to Kahn at some point in their lives. Were their souls pledged to him as well? Now let's say Kitana finally destroys Kahn...like I think she should...but only then does she discover the consequences of the soul-pledge. BUT...let's say as Kahn dies, he releases Kitana...and Kitana alone...so she can live with the pain of knowing she inadvertantly caused the deaths of her mother and/or best friend. How about that for a kick to the face? Something that should've been her finest hour and greatest triumph comes with a terrible price?

Or...now this may be a little out there, but bear with me. In Armageddon, depending on who defeated Blaze, Taven or Daegon, the fighters gathered during Armageddon would all be killed or stripped of their special abilities (I don't like to say "powers"). Now Taven's ending suggests there could be a third outcome where all the fighters' abilities are enhanced or they gain new ones. Going back to what I mentioned earlier about how Kitana could use some new special moves that don't revolve around her fans...maybe this could be an oppurtunity to do something new with her.

Now this then got me to thinking what new ability could Kitana get? Her ending was preposterous, so let's ignore that. Most of the obvious elements are already taken...fire, ice, lightning, wind, water, etc. Then I recalled the Kitana fan fic I wrote a while back where...during a scene where she was very mopey about how no matter how hard she tries, people get hurt because of her...she says something along the lines of "Everything I touch rots."

She was speaking figuratively there, but it gave me an idea: what if Kitana gains the ability to decay whatever she touches...and she can't control it. Part of my logic behind this is, she's developed this Kiss of Death technique where she can kill someone just by kissing him/her...well, what if Blaze's essence accelerates this ability to the point where she can't control it and any living thing she even touches starts to whither away and die? They could reflect this in her attire...maybe have one outfit where she's completely covered, the idea being she doesn't want to hurt anyone who touches her. And if you want to get really crazy, have her alt go the opposite...with her wearing something more revealling, the idea being she'd wear it in a fight so whoever touches her WILL get hurt.

That last bit is a bit out there...but the point is, if Kitana's to continue on in the next generation, she must endure one final crushing blow that will make her shed her royal status and responsibility. Keep in mind that if Kitana's life is ruined in Armageddon, it will have been the SECOND time her life's gone down the shitter. She once believed she was Shao Kahn's daughter and her place was to serve him...only to find out that was all a lie. Against all odds, she picked up the pieces and rebuilt herself as the Princess of Edenia...coming within reach of living a happy life in peace. Now suppose that life gets snatched away from her...what then?

We can pick on Kitana in MK8...bitter, angry, cynical, pessimistic, and sulking. The latest tragedy finally makes her lose all hope and she gives up on Edenia...leaving the realm, or what's left of it, to it's fate. She renounces her title as Princess, no longer caring about anything and spends her days brooding and trying to forget the past. She could also just as easily snap and go insane...or just revert to evil again, but personally I'd rather she not go in those directions. I don't like the idea of Kitana going insane, because I think it just makes her seem stupid. I kind of feel the same way about her turning evil again. I also just think the idea of her going numb and not caring anymore is just much cooler.

In this state of mind, we can see a darker side of Kitana, maybe closer to her roots back in MKII when she was very mysterious and we weren't sure what she was up to. Could create friction with the other good guys who are upset Kitana's given up on herself, while she just brushes them off. Then of course, this would inevitably lead to Kitana being forced to fight once again even though she doesn't want to or even care. What exactly forces her to return...well, that'll depend on what the story will be.

Off the top of my head...they could tie it with some unanswered questions about her past. Like why did Shao Kahn choose to not only keep her alive when he conquered Edenia, but raise her as his own? Maybe it's just a simple matter of Kahn is that big a douche or he had some soft spot for her...but let's say there was a bigger reason. Maybe Kitana is in some way important and Kahn needed her alive and on his side? Now suppose a future villain also knows this, and makes his/her move...forcing Kitana from her self-imposed exile?

On that train of thought, maybe tie into how/why Kitana learned the truth about her past? Was there someone behind it and if so, why? What could be this character's motive behind revealling to Kitana who her true family was and thus, turning her against Shao Kahn? Now let's say this character were to return and we discover there was a more sinister reason behind it all?

Suppose another figure from Kitana's past returns seeking revenge? Kitana spent most of her life loyally serving Shao Kahn. She's therefore hurt and killed a lot of people in his name. Suppose one such person hasn't forgiven her and/or doesn't believe she's truly changed and returns seeking vengeance? Personally, I am hesitant about more revenge stories and I think we're past Kitana's guilt issues at this point...but nevertheless, there's another potential story/feud for her.

If you want to play her as something of a wild card...suppose they run with a story where Raiden tries to take power for himself and overthrow the Elder Gods in order to reshape Reality as he feels it should be. He could seek out Kitana and try to recruit her to his cause. In addition to offering her a chance to finally get the peace she'd long desired...he could also play on her bitterness towards Argus and/or Taven. Because frankly, I don't think Kitana should be too happy with Argus, who's her realm's god, deciding to turn the fate of her home, her allies, and herself into some bizarro contest to see which of his sons is better. I think she'd have reason to be just a little resentful considering there wouldn't even BE an Edenia anymore if not for her.

Ultimately, this would lead to Kitana's third story/character arc. As said, if her first one was her rise and her second one is her fall...the third arc would be the one where everything comes full circle. Perhaps she finally finds balance and is finally able to make peace with herself. Would she side with Raiden and if so, would she come to realize his new vision of "peace" is practically tyranny? Perhaps she returns to finally set things right again...which goes back to the to redemption, which is the theme of Kitana's story.


Well I think that about covers everything. If they bring Kitana back, I hope it's a worthy return. One that reminds fans that she's still the bad ass warrior she was back in MKII. They just need to freshen up her looks and moves and do away with the unneeded baggage that's started to hold her down in the story.
I'll probably unload another rant on another character later.

Noob, best ninja imo.