At E3 2013, Nintendo opted for an intimate meeting with press at the company’s booth before the show floor opened. Most assumed this was because the publisher didn’t want to compete with new console announcements from Sony and Microsoft. However, this year Nintendo is doing something similar, only with far more excitement. Some people focused on the fact that Nintendo won’t have a press conference yet again, but that’s not what’s important here. The important tidbit is that Nintendo’s E3 2014 plans have a heavy focus on Super Smash Brothers for the WiiU and 3DS. Fans have quite a bit to look forward to next month.
Smash Brothers Invitational Tournament
The biggest news is that Nintendo will hold a 16-player invitational tournament at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles. Participants will play the latest build of Super Smash Bros. Wii U, and the event will be streamed live for all to watch. Anyone in the LA area will also be able to head down to the venue and watch the tournament play out live. The company has yet to reveal the list of players, but one has to assume we’ll see the top tournament contenders and probably a few players who may not place top eight all the time, but play more unique characters.
While the prize for the tournament is unknown, expect to see most of these players gunning for the win. It’s unlikely that many of the participants will use new characters, but expect to see at least one or two players opt for a new character depending on how much practice time they’re allowed before the tournament begins. On the one hand, playing a new character against the best Peach in the world likely won’t get you many wins. However, if you can get down the basics of a new character (say Mega Man), the natural skill of these players should allow them to show off what the character can do and surprise their opponents with techniques they’ve never experienced in the past.
The best part about the invitational is that we’ll get to see each character in what will almost certainly be a one-on-one environment. While Smash Brothers is a party game played by up to four players at a time, it’s unlikely that Nintendo would go through the trouble of inviting top tournament players to E3 just to have them play in a format widely considered restricted to casual play.
Super Smash Bros. Smash Fest at Best Buy
The same build of Smash Brothers for the Wii U will be playable at a large number of Best Buy locations across the U.S. This is not the first time Nintendo has offered kiosks of unreleased games at Best Buy locations. If a Best Buy near you was lucky enough to get a kiosk the last time this happened, chances are high you’ll get that opportunity again. You can check out the list of locations from last year’s Best Buy Nintendo Experience here.
There’s been speculation as to which controller will be present at these Best Buy locations. It’s widely known that every Smash Brothers title was built to be played with a standard controller. It’s extremely unlikely that Nintendo would force Best Buy patrons to play on the standard Wii U GamePad. Smash fans can bet they’ll be able to use the classic controller designed for the WiiU (similar to the old Wii classic controller).
Smash Brothers on the Show Floor
E3 attendees will be able to play the same build of Smash Brothers that fans will have access to at Best Buy locations across the U.S. While the tournament and probably the Best Buy kiosks will be one-on-one setups, that will appeal more to the hardcore tournament players than the millions of casuals who play the game. It’s likely that Nintendo will have stations set up for one-on-one play, and four player free-for-all setups so people can get a feel for how the game plays at a more casual level.
In addition to live streaming the invitational tournament, Nintendo will also stream live from the show floor during E3 hours. While Smash won’t be the only game on display, it’s a safe bet to assume you will see a lot of Smash Brothers, and possibly even an interview with Sakurai himself. Even if you’re not at E3, you’ll still be able to get a lot from Nintendo’s E3 presence just by sticking to your computer during the event.
