Topic: Can Nintendo do a "Mean-Spirited" game?

Also, I meant to say this earlier, Invader ZIM and Billy & Mandy aren't "mean spirited", they have "dark humor" they are two different things. A "mean spirited" show would be something like Family Guy, or the newer episodes of SpongeBob.

I agree that games that wanna end sad should do so, but it has to make sense for have on the player a meaningful impact instead than feel like a slap on the face.
I based my point, admittely, on a misinterpretation of the opening post, but my position is merely that a game's ending must be a "reward", be it a cheerful one that make the player smile or a shocking one that offer many points on which think about or just bad one breaking the player in tears. Most games follow a structure however where a full bad ending wouldn't be as "rewarding" as it has to, but this doesn't mean there can't be games able to pull that off fine.

Pandora's Tower is a little bit like that. The game has 4 different endings, and 3 of them aren't all nice and peachy. It's really a story of some grave tragedies intertwined with a darker love story.

But that game is pretty much the most un-Nintendo game they have ever owned and published.

I think Warioware on the GBA had a bit of a meanstreak with a comical note. Also metroid is usually quite dark and moody with no quips or puns. So yeah as stated before nintendo rarely goes all out grimdark but weaves the shadows of life around it's whimsical portrayal of it.

The Wario platformers are probably an even better example. After the first game, power-ups are replaced with Wario taking advantage of injuries to proceed, Wario's goal is always greed, and at least one ending is usually a slap in the face to Wario.

I think PT was able to get away with a lot of things because so much of it's implied...which ended up being one of it's greatest assest IMO. Most games will just have blood, guts, mass killings of characters, developer more characters just for teen-angst murder fodder, copious amounts crying teenagers, Otacaon constantly getting his girlfriends killed (lol, had to throw it in there), and whatever else they can club you over the head with. But PT is subtle in its discomfort. It is mostly everything Nintendo usually isn't...but it doesn't throw it in your face.

I'll mention it a million times I swear, but that first boss fight where he doesn't even attack you first (you pretty much murder him), was indirect genius...I hope Nintendo recruits Ganbarion for a sequel T_T.

Wow, I forgot about the feeling I got when I first did that. The way you heard their screams really gave you this feeling that you were hurting something more human than you originally thought.

I definitely want Ganbarion to do another original title. PT is a really original game with some really cool ideas unifying gameplay and story.