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Although the Saints Row franchise was, at one point, trying its best to keep pace with Grand Theft Auto, it has found a new identity as of late. Rather than follow down the same path as its competitors, Saints Row took a wide left turn somewhere between entries number 2 and 3 and has come out all the better because of it. Saints Row chose to fully embrace its goofy side and now, in some respects, has become a more exciting franchise than GTA ever was.

Further proof of Saints Row's absurdity can be seen in the recently announced Gat out of Hell expansion, which releases as a standalone experience for last-gen and current-gen platforms early next year. We've already seen a brief teaser trailer and a few screenshots for the add-on content, but today developer Volition has provided a closer look at the gameplay in action.

The narrated trailer seen above perfectly encapsulates what makes the Saints Row franchise so appealing, and does so in less than 5 minutes. Building off the lead of Saints Row 4, 'Gat out of Hell' takes the series to new heights (or is it depths?) with some zany weapons and powers. Players, as series fan favorite Johnny Gat, can wield everything from a gun that shoots locusts to a giant hammer that smites enemies with lightning. And, as if that wasn't enough, Johnny Gat even has a pair of demonic wings to help him zoom around hell.

Saints Row Gat out of Hell Expansion

Even though it might not seem like it at a glance, 'Gat out of Hell' appears to be a natural extension of Saints Row 4. The demonic powers build off the super powers from that fourth game, and the weapon selection tries to push the series' trademark offerings to their logical conclusions. Even the side missions (called diversions) have their own hellish personality, while still fitting within that Saints Row wheelhouse.

However, because our chief criticism with Saints Row 4 (read our review) was the lack of appreciable evolution when compared to Saints Row the Third, we're not entirely sold on 'Gat out of Hell' just yet. Yes, it will be great to jump back into this world and play around with a new set of toys, but this would mark the third time Volition has taken the same base game and tweaked it to fit a new milieu. At some point we hope to see something totally fresh and new, but still innately Saints Row.

What do you think of 'Gat out of Hell's gameplay? What are you most excited to try out: the new weapons or the new powers?

Saints Row: Gat out of Hell releases January 30, 2015 for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One.