$6.99NewsReviews

‘Shrek Kart HD’: The Closest Thing to Mario Kart on the iPad, So Far

Perhaps the most significant thing about the iPad is that it’s a “large"-screen, multitouch platform. And, while that’s certainly so, it’s also a “large"-form factor, accelerometer-enabled platform — though I’ve not seen that detail run up the flagpole nearly as often. Noting that, you know what feels more like a steering wheel than an iPhone? An iPad! And iPad gamers with any sense, who grabbed Firemint’s Real Racing HD [App Store] on iPad day one, have been enjoying this fact in a high-speed, realistic racing setting for some time now.

But realism can be overrated. And that’s why things like the movie Shrek exists. And, following that, it’s why racing titles like Gameloft’s Shrek Kart [App Store] exist for the iPhone. But, today, in a move that adds a bit of realism (a larger “steering wheel") to fancy, Gameloft released Shrek Kart HD [App Store] for the iPad.

We took a look at Shrek Kart for the iPhone during PAX 2009 and found it to be surprisingly enjoyable. The iPad version brings all that we liked about the initial release to Apple’s new wonder-device and sprinkles a few new features into the mix, like a redesigned mini-map and a customizable onscreen interface — not to mention the high resolution visuals and, again, the more steering wheel-like host device, namely the iPad.

See our gameplay video of the iPhone release.

[ Full HD version | Low Bandwidth version ]

Shrek Kart for the iPhone was a lot of fun. Shrek Kart HD does justice to the original, as rendered on a larger, more powerful device. Racing fans should give it a look (or at least give Shrek Kart FREE [App Store], for the iPhone, a try).

App Store Link: Shrek Kart HD, $6.99