At this point, Super Smash Bros. is riding an unbelievable wave of hype. Following a successful Japanese release and an incredibly popular demo in the U.S., Nintendo seems to have a hit on its hands before the game even comes to American stores. With just over a week before the game is released, Nintendo wants to do everything it can to keep building anticipation.
For serious fighting game fans, tournaments are the ultimate proving grounds. Super Smash Bros. Melee is still one of the main attractions at several high-profile events around the world, even 13 years after it was released. While a limited demo is more than enough for casual fans, the tournament players will no doubt want something more, and Nintendo intends to deliver.
On Oct. 4, just one day after the 3DS release of Super Smash Bros., Nintendo and Gamestop will be hosting a national tournament to determine the best Super Smash Bros. player in America.
Local tournaments will be 64-man competitions, with fights broken up into four-man matches over three rounds. Usually, Smash Bros. tournaments are one-on-one, though 64-man brackets would take days to get through at that rate. Nintendo and Gamestop will also be providing 3DS handhelds and copies of the game for those who haven't purchased it yet, though players are able to use their own device if they choose to. Local tournaments will begin at 11:00 a.m. local time.
Each local tournament winner will win a trip to New York City and participate in the National Open Tournament at Nintendo World, and on Oct. 11, Nintendo will broadcast the tournament live through its Twitch and Youtube channels. Nintendo also stated that character customization will play a big role during the finals. Custom characters have been a hotly debated topic for tournament players since it was announced; it'll be interesting to see hardcore players' reactions to the changes in a tournament setting.
For those already in New York City, Nintendo World will also be hosting a fan get-together on Oct. 2, and players will be able to purchase Super Smash Bros. ahead of release.
A complete listing of the rules and tournament locations can be found on Nintendo's official release. Super Smash Bros. will officially hit store shelves on Oct. 3.
