A racer from Ubisoft, but with a difference.

If there's one thing that the Wii needs to succeed, it would be third party support and diversity when it comes to the genre of titles available.

Ubisoft pretty much have these two points covered. As if they are not working on enough projects for Wii, they will be publishing a new racer, named GT Pro Series, which will in turn be developed by MTO. In a recent interview with IGN, GT Pro Series' associate producer Tats Myoio discussed the various features that this game has to offer. When you first look at the game, you will notice that it is sporting a lovely cel-shaded graphical style. A few years ago, there would have been a big fuss over this, but there seem to be more and more titles these days that feature different graphical styles, cel-shaded being one of them.

Perhaps the most interesting piece of information about this game is the fact that it will be bundled with a steering wheel, to enhance that 'driving feel.' Make of this what you will, but it is still pretty interesting.

Here are some snippets from the IGN interview:

IGN Wii: Ubisoft previously announced that this racer comes from MTO. Is GT Pro Series at all related to GT Cube, the GCN racer that only hit in Japan? What changes are being introduced to the Wii version?
Tats Myoio: GT Pro Series is based on the GT series that was developed by MTO. The MTO team has spent months of effort developing the controls from the ground up for the Wii version. The goal is to take full advantage of the distinctive Wii controller, and to make the gameplay more fun and immersive for the gamer

IGN Wii: There are 80 licensed cars in the game. Can you give us some examples of the rides available?
Tats: The entire lineup is comprised of cars made in Japan. Makes include: ASL, Daihatsu, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Mitsuoka, Nissan, Subaru and Toyota. It will have all the traditional cars that import racing fans expect to see in a racing game; that includes the Skyline R34 GT-R, RX-7 and Lancer Evolution. There will also be a wide variety of cars ranging from exotics, such as ASL and Mitsuoka, to family minivans. There will also be 11 different kinds of upgrades that will enhance both performance and looks for every car.

IGN Wii: Does GT Pro Series ship with an attachment of some kind? Please explain what it is and how it works?
Tats: To enhance the user's driving experience, GT Pro Series will include a steering wheel attachment made by Thrustmaster specifically designed for this game. The Wii Remote will fit into wheel horizontally with all buttons accessible, so tilting the wheel will tilt the remote. The player will be able to steer the wheel just like an actual car!

IGN Wii: Will any other Ubisoft games be able to use the attachment?
Tats: Monster 4x4: World Circuit, another Wii launch title, is fully compatible and will bundle the steering wheel as well. Since all buttons on the remote are accessible while attached to the wheel, any racing game that uses the same style of control (horizontal and tilting Remote-only) should be able to use the wheel as well. [Ed's note: Excite Truck, Cars, and the racing portions of Sponge Bob will work with the wheel.]

IGN Wii: Does the title feature an online component? How about a multiplayer mode, period?
Tats: GT Pro Series offers a 4-player split-screen multiplayer on a single console. Unfortunately, there is not enough time and programming support at this time to offer online features.

This could be one to look out for. We'll bring you more information on this as soon as it comes in.