Love 'em or hate 'em, video game pre-order bonuses come in a variety of different forms, including free swag, games, DLC, retailer discounts, store credits, or various combinations thereof. Sometimes they're awesome, sometimes they're meh, and sometimes they're disappointing, but they're always worth checking out - let's take a look!

If you've been considering Lego City Undercover for Wii U (available March 18th), both Gamestop and Walmart are offering a free Chase McCain Lego figure with your pre-order. It's a nice enough bonus that ties in well with the game, but if collectibility is your thing, you may be disappointed to learn this figure doesn't appear to be an exclusive or custom design. In fact, this looks to be the same Chase McCain Lego figure included with the Lego City High Speed Chase construction set. Also factor Target having already sold a ton of these things with their in-store Lego City Undercover reservation cards - for a buck, mind you - and it's fair to say this particular Lego figure isn't going to provide the Ebay-induced early retirement many may be hoping for.

If it seems I'm nit-picking over a Lego toy, it's because I am - Lego collectors take this type of thing very seriously. Just ask Alfred. Brick is for real, son.

Gamestop is also offering the Chase McCain figure with the 3DS game, Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins(available April 21st). Again, nice, but considering Gamestop is charging $39.99 for the game, while Amazon, Toys R Us, and Walmart are asking for only $30, you may want to take the $10 price break instead.

Speaking of price breaks, Amazon is offering the upcoming Wii U version of Resident Evil: Revelations for $39.99 - you save $10 with your pre-order! They've also listed Walking Dead: Survival Instinct for $37.49, matching Toys R Us' 25% discount offer. Factor in the $5 saved with Animal Crossing: New Leaf and the $20 saved when you pre-order both versions of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate (available March 19th), and yeah, Amazon is the current leader of straight-up pre-order discounts. Better yet, free shipping is included with all of these price break offers.

While everyone prefers an immediate discount, a store credit can make for a nice bonus as well. Amazon is offering a $10 credit with Injustice: Gods Among Us, a game developed by the folks responsible for Mortal Kombat. Given the pedigree, I'm expecting this game to be lots of fun, but let's hope this talk about the Wii U and DLC doesn't hold true!

Gamestop is well known for their exclusive pre-order bonuses, with a few currently available for Nintendo related games. Perhaps their best offer is included with Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate - you'll receive a free digital copy of the Brady MH3U strategy guide if you pre-order either the Wii U or 3DS version of the game. With Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag - scheduled for Wii U on October 29th - you'll receive an exclusive double-sided poster, but with the stipulation the bonus be picked up in-store. Kind of defeats the purpose of ordering online, doesn't it?

The most questionable of Gamestop's exclusive pre-order bonuses belongs to The Croods: Prehistoric Party. If you pre-order the DS, Wii, 3DS or Wii U version of the game, you'll receive access to an exclusive mini-game. How this will work isn't clearly defined, but considering the bonus applies to the DS and Wii versions, and "the item will be packed with your game," this smacks of locked in-game content.

Coming April 16th from Atlus is Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers for 3DS. True to form, Atlus is releasing the game with a nice extra - namely, an arranged CD soundtrack! Retailers everywhere are billing this as a pre-order bonus, and while this may be stretching things a bit - this printing will likely appear on store shelves upon release - It's true that pre-ordering is the best way to secure this particular packaging of the game, CD included. Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers is available for pre-order from Amazon, Gamestop, Best Buy, NewEgg, and Walmart.

Before I wrap up, a quick update on the after-jump deals section. Along with highlighting the best prices and discounts, I'm also now highlighting the names of new offers. This should make it easier to spot offers that have been added to the list since the last installment of Online Game Deals. I hope it helps - hit the jump to check it out!

'Til next time, this is Grubber Gamer, reminding you to help control the dinosaur population - have your Yoshi spayed or neutered. Thanks for reading!

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