Which Saints Row: The Third weapon is getting de-veined for Japan? (hint: it's the dildo)

Japan doesn't get Saints Row: The Third until a couple of days after the game's American release, but testy authorities have already ordered one prominent cut to the game's weaponry, neutering the game's Penetrator. If that name conjures images of an outsized, weaponized phallus, you're bang on the money – except in Japan, where developers have been forced to make the weapon a little bit more SFW.

Which, by the way, the next image probably ain't, so if you're at work you might not want to read the rest of this decidedly NSFW post.

Western players will get to swing the veiny monstrosity above when Saints Row: The Third's released next week, but Japan's version strips out the fine-grained anatomical detail, scaling the implement down from “gleefully obscene” to merely “vaguely objectionable.” The club's suggestive bendiness (or flacidness) is also removed, though it's hard to say the idea of a fleshy, rock-solid smacking implement doesn't at least strongly hint at the weapon's origins.

Above: Yeah, nothing dickish going on here

“Hold up,” every single person in the world's saying, “Japan's where that tentacle manga comes from, how can they have a problem with this?” Experts on the intricacies of Japanese censorship – of whom you surely know several – will explain that cartoon depictions of freaky octo-demon sex are one of the ways producers have traditionally gotten around the letter of the law, which forbids “depiction of genital parts” but not “depiction of things that do everything genital parts do except the looking-exactly-like-junk bit.” Being as Saints Row: The Third looks to have no shortage of amusingly phallic-looking things used to amusingly phallic effect, we're sure Japanese players will deal with this minor emasculation.

Source: Game Informer