The move steal doesn't sound bad and it could have a universal command so you don't have to press start every second... And it would be a quick transform and back...

I like the idea of Shang Tsung turning into a character just to perform a special move, but he should only have 5-6 of these...

Sub-Zero -- ice ball
Scorpion -- spear
Kung Lao -- hat throw
Raiden -- torpedo

etc

You don't think it's what made him stand out? I guarantee you if you're talking to someone about Mortal Kombat and you say "Shang Tsung", their first thought would be "Oh, the guy who could morph?" That and soul stealing were pretty much his defining characteristics and the things everyone remembers the most about him. Given that this game is going to be heavily playing off of nostalgia for the glory days of the series by revisiting the first three games, I'd hope they'd find a way to include the morphing.

That said, much as I want it in I seriously doubt it will be for all the afforementioned reasons. And honestly, I don't really like the idea of doing it only for a few moves because it essentially just turns him into Shujinko or a morphing MUGEN character. Same with the Shinnok style animation switching. I'd rather they do it "right" than half-assed.

Kind of a shame though because the morphing is a big reason Shang Tsung's always been one of my favorite characters. It was a cool gimmick that forced you to learn the roster inside and out, plus shapeshifting has always been one of my favorite powers so seeing a badass guy using it was always cool. That and morphing Shang Tsung throwing out screaming hell skulls is WAY cooler than Shang Tsung in wizard robes throwing piddly Liu Kang fireballs.

I'll take that bet. How much money you got?

Fifty dollars in monopoly money.

No but seriously, morphing was his big gimmick during the time the series was popular. Your average person will probably think of that and/or stealing souls if you ask them what they remember or know most about him.

Well I'd bet real money 'cause I'm that sure that anybody I ask will remember soul stealing first, flaming skulls second, and morphing last.
Trying to remember the commands to turn into 12 or more different characters is just god damned impractical, almost nobody I ever played MK2 or 3 with ever actually bothered with it.

Great idea.

Shang Tsung becomes the Mirror Match!

I love it.

Right there ^

Anytime I played MK2 or 3 with my friends they feared the triple fireball because three times and you're dead. I'd even shift back back forward forward just to mess with them and sweep em instead. Oh and the "piddly" fireballs in MK1 killed you in one go if you didn't block the first one.

I'm not even saying "they'll remember it as a gameplay tactic" or whatever, which is how it sounds like you're reading it. Remembering morphing commands has nothing to do with it and neither does how quickly the skulls can kill you or whatever.

Shang Tsung's gimmick as a character was the morphing. Whether it was effective from a gameplay standpoint or not is completely moot. Hell, I even asked a few buddies who are only vaguely familiar with the series what the first thing they thought of was when I mentioned his name. Most of them mentioned the morphing. It's his big, defining gimmick like I've said. It's like saying freezing people isn't the thing most people remember about Sub-Zero or the blade arms not being the most memorable thing about Baraka.

Edit: And by fireballs, I meant the lame Liu Kang fireballs he had in DA and Armageddon. IIRC he still had the flaming skulls in MK1 and those are cooler than having him throw Liu Kang fireballs like in the 3D games.

Shang Tsung's gimmick as a character is being a feeble old man who rules a tournament and clings to his youth by stealing souls. That's the first thing that comes to most people's minds.

When people go "Sub-Zero freezes people, Scorpion throws a spear, Shang Tsung..." the next words are "steals souls", not "morphs into people." Maybe to YOU, he's "the guy who morphs", but you're the minority, not the majority. Morphing has always been that OTHER thing he does that has nothing to do with his character and nobody REALLY cares much about, but makes for kind of a neat trick and they go "aww, I kinda miss that move...but it's no big deal." That's all.

As long as he sucks green light out of people and makes them wither, he's still Shang Tsung. Morphing was a bonus and people DO even think of the skulls before they think of that, because the skulls were more commonly used by players.