Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 have not only seen a change in their names from Super Mario 3D and Mario Kart 3D respectively, they have also been given official release dates by Nintendo.

Super Mario 3D Land will be released this November in Japan and North America, and Mario Kart 7, which is the first numbered installment in the series, will be releasing the next month, in December, in both the regions. Nintendo also announced that Kid Icarus: Uprising will be released this year, as it has always been planned.

Nintendo recently announced that they will also be making a huge $80 price cut to the 3DS next month. Those who have already purchased the 3DS at its original price of $249, will be getting 10 free GBA and 10 free SNES games from the 3DS’ Virtual Console. See the entire story here.

Mario Kart is one of the biggest Mario spin-off franchises, but keeping it fresh can be a tough job. Aside from the usual engine upgrades, it seems the next installment of the series will include Kart customisation and the ability to use glider wings with your Kart.

Nintendo showed off many games for their 3DS today in a video- Mario Kart 3DS, Mario 3DS (which is a 3D 2D platformer), Kid Icarus, Luigi’s mansion. Many more will be shown. More info as it comes.

Oh, and Star Fox is back- hell yeah!

Mario Kart 3DS- The game looks really great from the demo they showed on stage- the return of coins, many tracks (old and new), kart customization, underwater racing, gliding, new items and  a shitload of other awesome stuff. Releases this Holiday season.

Star Fox 3DS- You can control the game with either the buttons or with the gyroscope. The game features video chatting. Arrives in US stores this September.

Super Mario 3D– This has to be one of the best demos ever shown in any conference. Typical fun Mario stuff, Mario outfits, a funky music theme in the background, awesome graphics… this game seems to have it all. Releases in 2011- “before the year is over.”

Kid Icarus: Uprising- The gameplay looks stunning, and so do the graphics. The game also has some pretty great voice work. There’s also multiplayer. You can battle other players. 3 on 3 MP action. This looks amazing. Kid Icarus AR cards are also coming soon. Comes later this year.

Luigi’s Mansion 2- Great gameplay was shown, exactly what you expect from a Nintendo game. Luigi travelling through this haunted mansion with his torch, collecting coins, and other stuff. It’s not a “simple revision”, rather an entirely new game, making great use of the 3D, and featuring more than one mansion.

Mario Kart 3DS should be hitting store shelves by the end of the year and Star Fox 64 has gyroscope support that “gives a new dimension to the game.” This may only seem like a tidbit but, considering the relative silence held by Nintendo on the two titles, it is at least something.

Thanks to IGN for the info.

Nintendo UK marketing manager James Honeywell says the 3DS’ in built software and its applications are the real “killer apps.” While speaking with CVG last week, before the system’s launch, he said, “I actually think that the killer app is the software that is built into the console. With the AR games, the Mii maker, the quests and the ability to swap Miis, those are the killer apps and people should take the time to have a go on those. I’m sure they’ll be surprised at the level of depth and ingenuity that is already there.”

The 3DS does have a tonne of features that can keep 3DS owners distracted for a long time, even without games.

However, games do matter to us, and especially when they’re as big as Ocarina of Time and Mario Kart. When asked when the two will be released, Honeywell said that Nintendo were planning a 2011 launch for Mario Kart 3DS.

When asked about The Ocarina of Time 3DS’ release date, he said: “I know from personal experience of being on the sampling tours that the game everyone ran to was Zelda, to get their first experience of it in 3D, so we know it’s hotly anticipated, and hopefully we’ll be making an announcement fairly soon so people will be able to find out when they’ll be able to go and get it.”

Stay tuned for more info.

The new Mario Kart 3DS video has everything we would expect in a Mario Kart video. Getting inked, Goombasm banana peels, boulders, drifting, boosting, boulders and of course, crazy karts.

Plus, it looks really good. Have a look at it above. The game is definitely on our wishlist.

Check out all the latest 3DS news here.