Nintendo is aiming to make multiplayer a big draw in Kid Icarus: Uprising, with a multiplayer tournament leading up to its March 23 launch. Select GameStop stores will host tournaments with regional championships set for four cities. Those contenders will go on to take part in the national championships on March 22.

Bracketed regional competitions will take place in San Francisco (March 8), Orlando (March 11), Los Angeles (March 15), and New York (March 22). Even if you're not taking part in the tournament, you can show up to play the game before launch. Winners will be competing for Kid Icarus swag and an all-expenses-paid trip to New York for the final competition,

Three winners from each market will take part in the final round at the GameStop store at Broadway and 84th Street. That location will also be hosting a pre-sale, letting customers get their hands on the game a day before its official launch. The announcement doesn't mention what the grand prize will be for the winner, oddly enough.

As previously detailed, Kid Icarus features two multiplayer modes -- one team-based, and one deathmatch-style called Free-for-All. It's unknown which mode will be used for the tournament, but Free-for-All seems like the safer bet.