Super Smash Bros. 4 National Tournament Begins October 4

Just over a week remains before the North American launch of Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS. I hope everyone has been brushing up on their skills with the eShop demo, because you won't get too much hands-on time with the final build before the big tournament. Oh, you haven't heard? Nintendo released a PR statement earlier today announcing a nationwide Smash tournament open to all, kicking off on October 4.

The Nintendo World Store in New York as well as 15 select GameStops around the country will host 64-player tournaments that kick off at 11:00 AM local time. Sign-ups are on a first-come, first served basis, and you are not required to bring your own 3DS, although it's perfectly allowed. The top players at each location will then be flown to Nintendo World to compete in a final match on October 11, to be streamed on YouTube and Nintendo's Twitch channel beginning 6:00 PM Eastern.

The list of participating GameStops are below. And of course, don't forget to buy Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS first when it launches on October 3.