Nintendo World Championships

Nintendo World Championships was a special nationwide promotion/contest in 1990 that occurred in 30 cities around the United States. The legacy of this promotion lies in the game cartridge of the same name which was used in the competition. There are 116 copies of this game known to exist; 90 standard editions, given to contest winners, and 26 gold cartridges given to winners of a related Nintendo Power promotion. Because of this, it is a particularly rare game and is valued by video game collectors.

NES Game
The NES cartridge serves as the primary competition in the 1990 Nintendo World Championship. The cartridge has a combination of Super Mario Bros., Rad Racer, and Tetris. The timer is set for 6 minutes and 21 seconds. Each game is modified for the contest:
 * In Super Mario Bros., the player starts with 99 lives. The game ends when collecting 50 coins, and then Rad Racer starts.
 * After clearing the Rad Racer track, the player can progress to Tetris.
 * Tetris plays in a marathon mode until the timer runs out.

After the player plays a round of each game, their scores are totaled. Each score is adjusted. The player's score in Super Mario Bros. are not adjusted, their score in Rad Racer is multiplied by ten, and the score in Tetris is multiplied by 25. This encourages the players to reach Tetris as quickly as possible as it is the best way to achieve high scores.

Legacy
The Nintendo World Championship cartridges are considered the "Holy Grail" of NES Collecting by many fans. Gold cartridges are the most sought-after NES cartridges in the history of video gaming and may go for over $10,000.

Revival
The competition returned for its 2015 edition where sixteen competitors flew to Los Angeles to compete in the competition with the winner receiving the coveted trophy and a New Nintendo 3DS XL signed by Shigeru Miyamoto.

Stages
Each stage has a different game where the contestants compete for a spot in the next stage. The losing players will face off in the elimination zone known as the Underground. There is a total of five stages and three Underground challenges.


 * Stage 1: Splatoon - This stage is a standard Turf War battle. Two teams will face off in a series of three battles. The first team to score two wins moves on to the next stage.
 * Underground Challenge: The Legend of Zelda - This challenge is all about reaching the Triforce piece in the first dungeon. The first person to claim the piece moves on.
 * Stage 2: Blast Ball - The second stage is based on a mode in Metroid Prime: Federation Force. The first team to score three goals, moves on to the next stage.
 * Underground Challenge: Super Metroid - This challenge allows the player to face off against Mother Brain and escaping the planet Zebes in three minutes. The first player to escape moves on to the third challenge.
 * Stage 3: Mario Kart 8 - This stage is a VS. race across three tracks at 200cc. Only three will move on to the next stage.
 * Underground Challenge: Balloon Fight - This challenge allows the players to face off in Balloon Trip. Players will have three minutes to get the highest score possible. After two rounds, the player with the most points will move on to the fourth stage.
 * Stage 4: Super Smash Bros. for Wii U - This stage is a standard six-minute free-for-all match. The two players with the most points after two matches will face off in the final stage.
 * Final Stage: Super Mario Maker - For this stage, two players will face off in four custom courses made by the Treehouse. The contestant who completes the course will receive a 15 second head start in the final course. The first player to finish the final course, wins the competition.

Related

 * Nintendo Campus Challenge
 * Nintendo Powerfest '94