Three Days to Smash Bros. Brawl: Interview with Nintendo’s Eric Walter

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Eric Walter has one hell of a job. He was tasked by Nintendo of America to plan and coordinate a nationwide pre-release tournament for Super Smash Bros. Brawl, one of the mostly hotly anticipated games of our generation, on one of the most hotly selling video game consoles of all time. That’s a lot of “hotly”. To put on a show that both meets Smash Bros. fans high expectations and equals the current hype enjoyed by the publicity juggernaut known as the Nintendo Wii is no easy feat. Having attended one of Eric’s events, I can say first hand that he’s pulling it off splendidly.
 
Watch the video above to see poor Eric field obnoxious questions about Nintendo’s softcore image, how competitive gaming compares to the WNBA in terms of cultural acceptance, and the chance that downloadable content will someday become available for Brawl. Eric stated off the record that he wants Brawl DLC, he knows that I do, and that all “the fans” do too. That alone counts for something. Even if downloadable Mega Man for Brawl never becomes a reality, at least We’ll always know that one bigwig at Nintendo wanted it to happen. 
 
The jump will lead you to the official press release for the NYC Brawl Tournament Finals / Brawl Launch event. It doesn’t matter if you don’t play video games competitively, or if you don’t even like the Smash Bros. series. Go to this event.  It’s like being at a giant arcade for five hours where all the games are free. That’s the 13 year-old Jonathan Holmes’s idea of heaven on earth. 
 

WHAT: Nintendo fans from across the country are expected to converge on the Best Buy at 622 Broadway, New York City for the chance to compete in the New York Super Smash Bros. Brawl Regional Tournament on Saturday, March 8. Over two hundred people will get to take off the gloves, call off all bets and attempt to secure a spot in the Super Smash Bros. Brawl Tournament Finals taking place later that evening.

Regional qualifying tournaments held across the country in February have drawn between 700 and 1000 consumers lining up to be one of 256 participants to play the U.S. version of the game and compete in the tournaments. The best player from Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston-area and New York will meet at the finals in New York City. The winner walks away with bragging rights as the national Smash Bros. champion as well as a special edition, crystal-adorned Wii, signed copy of the game from the game’s creator and a home theater system from Best Buy amongst other prizes.

The alley adjacent to the Best Buy location at 622 Broadway will be transformed to help set the mood for the launch of this celebrated game, featuring a variety of fan favorite Nintendo characters, from Mario™ to Link™ to Pikachu®.

Additionally, Super Smash Bros. Brawl employs online play for the first time. This enhancement allows up to four players to simultaneously duke it out, no matter where they may be.

With new characters, new moves, online multiplayer battles and exciting action-packed gameplay, Super Smash Bros. Brawl has become one of the most anticipated games of 2008. Best Buy will open at Midnight, March 8 to ensure fans can be the first to get their copy of this much awaited release.

VISUALS:

* Enthusiastic fans and competitors vying for their opportunity to play and ultimately win the grand prize.
* Multitudes of excited fans playing the game on kiosks while waiting for midnight to approach so they can buy it
* First copy of Super Smash Bros. Brawl being sold
* Adults and kids dressed up in Nintendo-themed costumes

WHEN: Saturday, March 8

New York Regional Tournament begins at 5 p.m.

Tournament Finals begin at 8 p.m.
WHERE: Best Buy (NOHO)

622 Broadway

New York, NY 10012

 

Other entries in this series-

Four Days to Smash Bros. Brawl: The Top Five Smash Bros Glitches

Five Days to Smash Bros. Brawl: Top Five unfulfilled Brawl pipe dreams 

Six Days to Smash Bros. Brawl: Top Five Smash Bros alternatives 

Seven Days to Smash Bros. Brawl: Hands on coverage of the WPI Brawl Tournament

 

 

 


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Author
Jonathan Holmes
Destructoid Contributor - Jonathan Holmes has been a media star since the Road Rules days, and spends his time covering oddities and indies for Destructoid, with over a decade of industry experience "Where do dreams end and reality begin? Videogames, I suppose."- Gainax, FLCL Vol. 1 "The beach, the trees, even the clouds in the sky... everything is build from little tiny pieces of stuff. Just like in a Gameboy game... a nice tight little world... and all its inhabitants... made out of little building blocks... Why can't these little pixels be the building blocks for love..? For loss... for understanding"- James Kochalka, Reinventing Everything part 1 "I wonder if James Kolchalka has played Mother 3 yet?" Jonathan Holmes