Let's get one thing out of the way right from the start: VidRhythm is not the second coming of Rock Band, Karaoke Revolution or Frequency, by way of the App Store. In fact, VidRhythm isn't a video game at all.
Harmonix has instead created an entertainment app that allows users to create and star in their own bizarre music video mash ups. The ensuing results teeter between brilliant and nightmarish depending on the creativity and musical abilities (or hilariously lack thereof) of the creator.
It works like this: after choosing a song (the app ships with 25 tracks) and a music video style, users are prompted to record six short video clips. VidRythm gives instructions like "Make a cymbal sound, like 'PSHH!'" or "Make a low drum sound, like 'BOM!'" for each. The app then uses these audio and video snippets to create an entire custom music video.
If you're the pros at Harmonix, your clips turn out like this:
More VidRythm Videos
But if you're a group of IGN editors playing around with VidRhythm for the first time, you end up with a video like this (sorry Audrey, Peer, Mark, & Rich!):
More VidRhythm Videos
The potential for the software is obvious. In the right creative hands, some very slick VidRhythm clips are sure to emerge. In the wrong hands
well, you can immediately tell that Harmonix has returned to much quirkier form with VidRhythm than we've seen in more recent mainstream titles like Dance Central. The video results are almost always a combination of the awesomely awkward and strange. Key word there being awesome, of course.
Thankfully, sharing your VidRhythm creations with your friends couldn't be easier. After creating a clip, users can upload to Youtube or Facebook with a single click. Clips can also be exported to your iDevice's camera roll as a .mov file.
Like nearly all Harmonix products, the amount of fun VidRhythm provides seems to be directly proportional to how many people are around. Many laughs were had around the IGN office watching the app mash up our brief performances, but creating videos alone made the experience feel more gimmicky.
VidRhythm is scheduled to hit the App Store in early September. Youtube might never be the same.
