This past wekekend, at Best Buy in NYC during the midnight madness launch, there was a heck of a tournament that took place.

Photos below the fold:

Dennise Gomez of West New York, N.J., competes against Shawn Shariati, of New York, N.Y., during the Nintendo Super Smash Bros. Brawl tournament in New York, Saturday, March, 8, 2008. The event coincided with the nationwide release of the video game which went on sale at midnight last night. (Photo/Nintendo/Stuart Ramson)

Cecila Espinoza and her sons Gonzalo, center, and Sabastian, right, are among the first to purchase the new Super Smash Bros. Brawl which went on sale at midnight last night, New York, Sunday, March, 9, 2008. The hotly anticipated new game features a variety of characters from Nintendo’s history. (Photo/Nintendo/Stuart Ramson)