Super Mario 3D Land opens in Nov., Mario Kart 7 zips to Dec.

Nintendo has suddenly gotten quite serious about getting its new portable into gamers' hands, having announced this morning that it would be slashing the price of the 3DS by up to 40 percent worldwide. And while the August 12 price cut ($170 in the US) should help spike sales, Nintendo still has a number of system-selling franchises in waiting, namely Mario Kart and Super Mario Bros.

Having previously announced that both of those games will make their debut on the 3DS by the end of 2011, Nintendo has now confirmed new names and release windows. The first to launch will be Super Mario 3D Land in November, while Mario Kart 7 is slated to follow it in December.

Super Mario 3D Land is an all-new installment in the 26-year-old franchise, though it contains many of the hallmark features of the series. As detailed in GameSpot's hands-on with the game from the 2011 Electronic Entertainment Expo, Super Mario 3D Land contains both 2D and 3D sequences, where the action takes place on the device's top screen, and the bottom screen serves as a menu.

GameSpot also went hands-on with Mario Kart 7 at E3, and it too is an original installment in the series. In addition to an expected roster of Mushroom Kingdom racers, Mario Kart 7 adds underwater and airborne racing to the series for the first time. The game will also have an increased emphasis on kart customization.

With Star Fox 3D's release date having recently been pegged to September 9, Kid Icarus: Uprising stands as Nintendo's last major 3DS release confirmed for this year but without a specific launch day.