According to the latest report from Reuters, Nintendo Company Ltd. has just surpassed the 10 trillion Yen mark in market value. That means that the total shares of the company is pegged at around US$ 85.08 billion.

The only other companies which have achieved the same are Toyota Motor Corp. and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group. Furthermore, it was reported that Nintendo's shares have risen more than fivefold in two years primarily due to the soaring-high sales of the shiny white Wii console.

Nintendo's handheld platform, the DS Lite, also contributed significantly to the recent success enjoyed by the Kyoto-based video game company. Upcoming title Wii Fit also helped a lot, Reuters added. After announcing that it will be released in Japan on December 1, Nintendo shares also got a further boost.

How does the title "Grand Marketer of the Year" sound to you? Well, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime has just been handed the award by weekly marketing trade publication Brandweek. The latest issue of the magazine ran 10 success stories all in all and the out-spoken Nintendo official ended on the top spot.

This really is interesting because it happened in the midst of an impending Wii supply shortage for the holiday season. The said magazine described Fils-Aime as someone who is flamboyant and loves to smack talk but gets the job done.

Brandweek added that he (Fils-Aime) "preached the gospel of gaming and converted moms and the elderly into Wii addicts." Other personalities who received the award in the previous years include Jim Stengel (Global CMO of Procter & Gamble) and Jim Farley (Toyota Motor Sales VP of Marketing).

Nintendo continues to keep its momentum after reaching an all-time high of 64,800 yen in shares. In layman's terms, Ninty is doing so good with the Wii and DS that even global securities and investment management firm Goldman Sachs believes Nintendo can reach the level of Apple.

Nintendo is now Japan's third most valuable company after Toyota and Mitsubishi, but analysts seem to expect more. According to Goldman Sachs' report:

We believe Nintendo's talent in creating new markets, evident from the launch of the DS and Wii, could bring it close to the level of Apple, whose high valuations are due in large part to its innovative business model.

Without a doubt, Nintendo is experiencing unprecedented success after besting Sony's market value months ago. Sales numbers also make it obvious the the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS are having a better time than the Sony PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable.

It's no surprise that Nintendo is doing quite well in this round of the console wars, and their success is also evident in the value of Nintendo's stocks in Japan. The value of Nintendo stocks have soared high and reached second place, leaving other big-name brands such as Mitsubishi and Canon in the dust.

Gaining a current market value of 8.39 trillion yen (or US$ 73.38 billion), Nintendo's shares is second only to Toyota, the most profitable Japanese-brand car maker. Nintendo's shares have multiplied more than four times for the last couple of years, and have enjoyed a 3.1 percent increase of 59,200 yen (or US$ 510.01) last Tuesday.

For the record, Sony's market shares was not included in the top ten most valuable stock value for the last few months.

What's so special about the GT Pro Series aside from the fast cars, cel-shaded style, stunning graphics and gameplay? Well, it's the very first to have a Wiimote peripheral that's not developed by Nintendo and specifically designed for the game: the steering wheel. BUT before we get into that, let's go over some of the other important game details via IGN's interview with Tats Myoio, Associate Producer of the GT Pro Series, shall we?

Gameplay Modes:

Championship mode - the classic one where you race with others to get to higher levels and get to unlock cars, parts, and tracks. You may have to use specific cars for some of the series.

Quick Race - as the name implies, just go out into the track and race any unlocked car of your choice.

Time Attack - race without competition with the option of creating a ghost and racing against it.

Versus mode - allows you and three of your friends to race on the same track via split-screen.

Drift mode - similar to Time Attack but with the goal of creating as much drift combinations as you can.

Replay - you can save and view any of your races.

Cars, Cars, Cars: Cars in the lineup are all Japan-made: ASL, Daihatsu, Honda, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Mitsuoka, Nissan, Subaru and Toyota. The game will also have Skyline R34 GT-R, RX-7 and Lancer Evolution, as well as a wide variety of cars from exotics to minivans. There will also be 11 different upgrades to customize and enhance the looks and performance of every car.

GT Pro Series as a Drift Racer?: Tats Myoio says nope, because you won't be forced to drift race, it's only an option in the game. The Drift Mode requires you to make as many drift combos as possible but it's not required in completing the game. In this sense, Tats says that GT Pro Series is designed to please both drifters and non-drifters.

And finally, the steering wheel attachment and where it can be used: Thrustmaster designed the steering wheel wherein the Wiimote will fit horizontally with all the buttons made accessible. Tilting the wheel will also tilt the wiimote and the steering wheel further adds to the whole driving experience of gamers. Aside from GT Pro, the wheel will also be compatible with another Ubisoft Wii title, Monster 4x4: World Circuit. IGN also notes that Excite Truck, Cars, and the racing portions of Sponge Bob will work with the wheel attachment.

What GT Pro Series won't have/support: Unfortunately, there will be no progressive-scan feature in the game as well as online features. What the game will have though, is the multiplayer mode on one console. As for the WiiConnect24 download service, Tats did not confirm anything about GT Pro making use of the service for downloadable contents.