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.

2015 revival
The competition returned for its 2015 edition on the weekend before E3 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.

Qualifiers
The qualifiers is set in eight Best Buy locations from different regions in the United States. Players play Championship Mode from Ultimate NES Remix (collect 50 coins in Super Mario Bros., collect 25 coins in Super Mario Bros. 3 and getting a possible high score in Dr. Mario). The eight top scorers from eight different regions compete in Los Angeles along with eight other players selected by Nintendo.

Stages
Each stage has a different game where the contestants compete for a spot in the next stage. The losing players 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 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 multiplayer mode in Metroid Prime: Federation Force. The first team to score three goals move 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 move on to the next stage.
 * Underground Challenge: Balloon Fight - This challenge allow the players to face off in Balloon Trip. Players have three minutes to get the highest score possible. After two rounds, the player with the most points 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 face off in the final stage.
 * Final Stage: Super Mario Maker - For this stage, two players face off in four custom-made courses made by the Treehouse. Players take turns to complete the first three courses. The contestant who completes the course in the fastest time or the furthest receive a fifteen-second head start in the final course. Then, both players face off in the final course and the first player to complete it wins the competition.

Super Mario Maker
In Super Mario Maker, unlocking all 56 of the 10 Mario Challenge's sample courses for the Coursebot unlocks the Nintendo World Championships 2015 courses for the player to play. Upon clearing all four of these courses, the player are rewarded with the ability to shake Super Mushrooms in the Super Mario Bros. game style in order to use the Weird Mushroom at any time.

2017 revival
On August 8, 2017, Nintendo of America announced the return of the Nintendo World Championships to held on October 7, 2017 at the Manhattan Center's Grand Ballroom in New York City, New York. And participants will be able to play the demo versions of Super Mario Odyssey and Metroid: Samus Returns. Additionally, any My Nintendo members will be able to check in using their My Nintendo QR Code at any of the qualifier event locations to receive 100 Platinum Points. My Nintendo members who are one of the first 200 to check in daily at each location will receive a My Nintendo pin as an added bonus.

Qualifiers
Qualifiers will be taking place August 19, 2017 through September 10, 2017 at select Best Buy stores across eight cities in America. Contenders will be split into two age groups consisting of 12 years old and younger and 13 years old and older and play Mario Kart 7. Ages 12 years old and younger will play as Mario on the retro course of DS Luigi's Mansion with a limited array of karts consisting of the Standard Kart, Standard Wheels, and Super Glider. Ages 13 years old and older will play as Bowser on the retro course of GBA Bowser Castle 1 also using a Standard Kart, Standard Wheels, and Super Glider. Players with the best Time Trial out of two attempts in each age group after each two-day event at each Best Buy location will qualify for the Nintendo World Championships 2017. Players will either be forced to forfeit or will advance their way through the tournament based on their performance.

Miami was originally scheduled as one of the eight cities in America to host the Qualifiers; however, the event was cancelled due to the effects of hurricane Irma in that area. Instead, the two remaining spots in the tournament will be filled by selecting the participants from other regions with the best non-qualifying times.

Related

 * Nintendo Campus Challenge
 * Nintendo PowerFest '94