Nintendo's World Championship Seems More Like Lazy Marketing Than The Tribute It Should Be
The first Nintendo World Championships took place in 1990 in a world that was all too hot for gaming. 29 cities were flooded with gamers of all ages looking to become the top competitor in their age group to represent their city in Universal Studios California and acquire the status of top Nintendo gamer.
Players played a six minute compilation of modified Super Mario Bros, Tetris, and Rad Racer. Each city had one winner in each age group (11 and under, 12-17, 18+) and each city's winner was rewarded $250 cash along with a free trip to Universal Studios California to compete in the finals. Although the runner ups were undoubtedly disappointed, they were awarded with a power pad and a Game Boy, which wasn't a bad deal considering a Game Boy was going for around $100 after tax at the time.
The winners competed in California, and when it was all said and done, one man from each age category was left standing. At this point, each of them already had 10k in cash, a gold Mario trophy, convertible Geo Metro, and 40 inch rear projection TV, but that wasn't enough. For personal bragging rights the three competitors battled for the ultimate title and 13 year old Thor Aackerlund would walk away the Nintendo champ. His title would be short lived, however, as he quickly signed a contract to become a spokesman for then competitor Camerica games...
Runner up Jeff Hansen would then go on to represent America as Japan invited their winner to take on their own champion Yuichi Suyama. Jeff would go on to beat the Japanese at their own game and once again showcase American dominance in the land of the rising sun.
If it needed to be said after reading all that: IT WAS A BIG F****** DEAL. So if you didn't know, now you know why Nintendo completely annihilated the news of the day when they announced the tourney's return a couple weeks back. That enthusiasm and love has quickly faded with the first details of the tournament being released yesterday.
The qualifying will last one day, and take place in a Best Buy in one of eight cities. Two of those cities are in California, and the rest are a poor attempt at covering the map and giving the most diehard fans a chance at competing. Hell, even the most convenient Midwest location is an hour outside of Chicago.
If you happen to make it to one of these locations, expect a long wait. Having attended Best Buy Nintendo events in the past I can attest to the fact that the consoles are few and the lines are unbearably long. I get it, they are a business after all, but why not put in some leg work and actually try to find venues to house a larger crowd? Oh yeah, because Best Buy probably threw them money to host it.
So what game will the attendees be playing if they manage to complete the long drive, wait in line, and make it to a console before close? Mario Kart right?! Smash Bros elimination? Maybe some Splatoon even?!
Ultimate NES Remix 3DS. Because what f****** year is it? Sure, it's in the spirit of the original competition to host a score based three game medley, but could we at the very least get a title reminiscent of the times?! God forbid we see any N64 or Gamecube games make an appearance, or damn, maybe an SNES title? All of these are playable with the Wii U, and would be a thousand times more engaging than a Dr. Mario time attack. Instead of putting some actual thought into it or maybe creating collectible software, however, Nintendo thought it best to piggy back off the game that already had a "Championship mode" and write it off.
With what little information that's been given about the Nintendo World Championships it's clear the new elite at Nintendo is taking a treasured moment in gaming history, and s******* on it for a cheap buck. I'm sure we are only days away from the "exclusive Amiibo announcement" that will be available for purchase to only those that attend, and it makes me sick to think about how many people will show up just to throw money at this half-assed tribute.
This isn't a tournament, it's free marketing. Nintendo once again went to the past to grab headlines and get media attention, then as usual followed through with disappointing results. It's the epitome of what Nintendo fans have had to go through for years. You stick with them because you remember the glory days, and there are times when you are surprised. More often than not however, it's not what you imagined and you end up compromising for a company whose heart seems to have checked out as the years continue. It breaks my heart, and all I can imagine right now is Reggie Fils-Aimé reading this article, chuckling to himself and making his oh so famous pose...
