Saints Row: The Third's release in Japan got a little less amusing.

A THQ representative told Game Informer that, due to stricter guidelines, the publisher had to remove the veins and physics from the in-game Penetrator weapon for its release in Japan. The Penetrator is a melee weapon comprised of a three-foot long purple phallus attached to the handle of a baseball bat.

Unfortunately, we were unable to obtain any images of the changes made to the Japan version.

Saints Row: The Third releases on November 15 in North America and Europe and November 17 in Japan.

The big games of 2011 are almost all out, but EA's Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning is waiting in the wings to usher in 2012. Take a look at how the game's shaping up.

The screens below highlight both the game's environments and its combat, two elements that the development team over at Big Huge Games hopes set the game apart. Amalur's combat is more action focused than your average RPG with its timed button presses, and the world's lore was created by author R.A. Salvatore.

Last month, a young man named Michael John Mamaril died of cancer at the age of 22. To honor his memory, Michael's friend Carlo reached out to their favorite developer Gearbox, who came through for their grieving fan in a major way.

Carlo emailed Gearbox asking if the team would record a eulogy for his friend in the voice of Borderlands' robot sidekick Claptrap. Not only did the developer record a heartwarming message for Michael's friends and family, but they also told Carlo they will add his friend to Borderlands 2 as an NPC. Carlo shared his story with Destructoid this week, which posted a copy of the eulogy on their site. I can pretty much guarantee it's the most touching recording you're going to hear today. 

We tip our hat to Gearbox for their incredibly kind gesture, which shows a level of character and commitment to their fan base that few studios achieve. Our thoughts go out to Michael's loved ones.

In an interesting patent filing, Nintendo comes up with a curious add-on to the traditional Wiimote -- one that may be intended for use with the company's upcoming Wii U.

Silconera broke the story on the new add-on, which looks to be another interesting accessory from a company that's made more than a few.

According to Siliconera, "The magic of mirrors makes the device work. When you touch the pad an infrared LED turns on and the amplified beams from the LED bounce off the mirror and are interpreted by the controller as position data. If you don’t touch the pad, the remote works just like a standard Wii remote."

Earlier this week, we updated you on the status of an upcoming Assassin's Creed film by Sony Pictures. Whenever we hear news of a gaming-based movie getting the green light in Hollywood, our minds start racing in an effort to fill the roles. Here are our picks for the cast of Assassin's Creed.

I've gone from incredibly skeptical to increasingly hopeful each time I've seen new info on Ninja Theory's upcoming Devil May Cry reboot. Capcom is continuing that trend today with a batch of new screenshots.

In these images, you can see the redesigned Dante facing off against various demonic enemies as well as a wildly transforming city. There's also a shot of Dante using Devil Trigger, a special power that bathes the world in black-and-white and slows time.

Take a look at the screens below and then check out the most recent trailer and Adam's favorable impressions of the game from Gamescom.

Unless you're living under a rock, you've probably seen the new Grand Theft Auto V trailer. Far from being a simple teaser, Rockstar provided an in-depth view of the new city players will descend upon when GTA V releases. There's a lot of detail packed into each shot, so take a look at this massive screen gallery to see the tidbits you may have missed.

Dirty cops, assassins with hearts of gold, international drug-running empires, and above all: revenge. Max Payne 3 is all about shooting dudes who deserve what they have coming to them. Usually in slow motion. More than possibly while diving. Definitely while grimacing. Check out the goods in four new screenshots directly from Rockstar.

Rockstar didn't send along any new info with the screens, but you can get more than you bargained for in Matt's excellent writeup from last month.

Max Payne 3 comes out for PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC in March of next year.

Old S.T.A.R.S. partners Jill Valentine and Chris Redfield join up to take on monsters and earn new gear in this trailer for Revelation's Raid mode.

In the video below we see the two intrepid exterminators blasting their way through an infested ship. Damage points rattle off of enemies as the duo disperses pain, giving the co-op mode a quasi-Borderlands feel. Upon completing the mission the players are also graded and rewarded with a batch of upgrades, which could be just the hook that Resident Evil fans need to keep coming back to Raid mode.