Tarnicus: Don't forget one can email a gift copy to oneself and then pass the code on to someone who would enjoy it or use the code yourself at a later stage. I often do this with games I am unsure of :)
Austrobogulator: It's also great idea when you have no friends and want to receive a gift on your birthday :o
lol my girlfriend bought me my very first(and last!) pre-order game that came out on my birthday last year - Realms of Arkania remake. It was the first full priced game I'd either asked for or gotten since...well not counting MMOs, probably since I bought Ultima 7 Part 2: Serpent Isle for $70 in 1993(that was the equivalent of US$103 to put it in perspective, and retail was $90 for the game back then in Australia, so yeah even then I couldn't pay full price. Ah memory, I bought Romance of the Three Kingdoms 3(bring KOEI games to GOG!!!) for $90 full price in 1994).
If I'm really tricky about it, it will feel like I've been gifted more as well since the game(s) most likely won't be on sale on my birthday!