TXH Asks…What on earth is Perfect Woman?

I remember first setting eyes on a video for Perfect Woman, the latest Kinect controlled offering on Xbox One. My initial reaction? What the hell is this? Is it really ‘a game’? Or is it just some strange alternate parody that has been created to put the final kick into an already struggling motion controlled device?

I’m all for checking out various genres and ideas, but the combination of rather freakish visuals, boundary pushing content and a combination of Kinect technology that has been callously thrown to one side, is just a bit too much to handle.

Now, don’t get me wrong, the latter is an absolute travesty in my opinion and if I could utilise the brilliant Kinect in more ways than by just shouting at my TV, then I’d love the opportunity. But I’m not sure Perfect Woman is ever going to give me that chance.

A ‘life simulator’, Perfect Woman for Xbox One has strangely been inspired by the personality questionnaires found in women’s magazines and has seemingly given the developers license to create something ‘fun’ off the back of them. Whether that fun is anything you will actually be able to grasp is an entirely different kettle of fish and I fully expect Perfect Woman to split the community much like the unmistakable Goat Simulator did a couple of years back. Indeed, you only need to read the comments found on the likes of NeoGaf, Reddit and YouTube to understand that. But unlike Goat Simulator, a game in which the only really offensive nature was letting your goat fly through the air, Perfect Woman pushes the boundaries of not just taste, but complete and utter offensiveness from the first moment to the last. Although by all accounts your last minute will be found only an hour or so after your first.

As a 40-something male, who is normally quite open to anything, I’m not personally finding the nature of Perfect Woman a problem. But Xbox One as a whole – and my console in particular – is enjoyed by many people coming from various walks of life. With sexual content, terrorism, alcoholism and more all forefront in your progression through Perfect Woman, I can see the game picking up a bad name immediately from release and seriously worry should any easily influenced teen spot it on the Xbox One Games Store and wonder what on earth it is all about. I understand that PEGI and ESRB certification is there for a reason, but no matter what kind of rating is attached to a product, I’m not sure that risk should be taken.

So, I still don’t really know or care what Perfect Woman is all about, or how it has come to fruition. One thing is for sure though…it’s a thing and unfortunately it’s not just one of those strange YouTube videos that occasionally surface!