We here at Dark Diamond (I say that like we have a central office) know that times are tough. With home foreclosures on the rise, stocks hitting an all-time low, companies conducting massive layoffs and soaring gas prices, which are finally receding after reaching an all-time high (averaging over $4.00 a gallon), one would be foolish not to see these as tumultuous times. And now that the holidays are upon us, shoppers must think wisely and spend frugally when shopping for gifts for the perfect gifts their family, friends and loved ones. But fear not consumer, for we are here to help you save some time and some green with Dark Diamond’s Holiday Gift Guide – 2008 Edition.

Now before you hit the jump get comfortable: grab a cup of Egg Nog or hot apple cider, put on Christmas With the Rat Pack and let the 1080P Virtual Fireplace blaze away.

Great Gifts Under $100 For…

The Anime lover:

Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion Part 1[Limited Edition] - Since Knightmare Frames won’t be hitting the assembly line until late 2010 you’ll just have to let Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebellion Part 1[Limited Edition] tide you over until then. Now you can bring down Britannia from the comfort of your couch. $63.90 – Buy it from Play-Asia (Part 2 also available through Play-Asia)

Air Gear: The Complete Collection – Episodes 1 – 25 – Taking place in the not so distant future; a new form of motorize inline skating has created a new, highly-competitive sport that is taking the streets of Tokyo by storm. Enter Ikki Minami: Minami forms his battle team of Storm Riders who compete for control of different zones, learn new tricks and gain prestige and respect along the way. The series moves fast and is sure to please action and comedy fans alike. $47.24 – Buy it from Deep Discount DVD

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann – Gurren Lagann Final Revoltech PVC Figure – This is almost a no-brainer gift for any Gurren Lagann fan. Tengen stands 6” tall, has 14 moveable joints and features 45 points of articulation. Kaiyodo even went so far as to include a slew of accessories and extras which include: interchangeable hands, head, display base, core drill and more. And at the price it’s going for you may as well pick up one for yourself too. $14.99 – Buy it from Hobbyfan (Pre-order – Avail. Dec. 28, 2008)

Appleseed: Ex Machina – Two-Disc Special Edition – If you know someone who missed out on this release earlier this year now is your chance to give them their wake up call. Based on character by Shirow Masamune, Appleseed: Ex Machina is produced by John Woo so you can expect to see some of his signature slow-mo gun battles and some nail-biting action sequences all packed into an amazing feature-length film. While somewhat of a departure from the original Appleseed story, Ex Machina still manages to present a stunning visual experience along with a well delivered storyline. $24.99 – Buy it from Deep Discount DVD (Blu-Ray also available for $25.83 from Deep Discount DVD)

Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya – 1/8 Haruhi Suzumiya (Extravaganza Ver.) PVC Figure – Love it or hate it, you can’t deny the fact that the Haruhi franchise has produced some pretty awesome merchandise. The Haruhi Suzumiya Extravaganza version figure is no exception. Sporting an awesome gothic-lolita outfit, Haruhi once again rocks out on her guitar. The punk style figure is based off a promotion illustration used for the live event “The Extravaganza of Haruhi Suzumiya.” $76.99 – Buy it from Hobby Fan (Pre-order item – Avail. May 29, 2009)

Rozen Maiden: Season 1 Complete Collection - An amazing story of love, betrayal and loyalty. Follow a boy with social anxiety, a living doll who wants to become human and a deadly “Alice Game” where emotions are put to the test. $30.72 – Buy it from Deep Discount DVD

Detroit Metal City Figures – Give the gift of black metal this holiday season with these awesome, fully-posable Detroit Metal City action figures based off of the hysterical and very mature anime OVA of the same name. “D-M-C. F**K!” $22.99 (ea.) – Buy them from Big Bad Toy Store

The Gamer:

Little Red Riding Hood’s Zombie BBQ – Baby it may be cold outside, but Little Red Riding Hood’s Zombie BBQ for the Nintendo DS is sure to heat things up this holiday season. Play as Red “Ready to Rock” Riding Hood or Momo “Kamikaze” Taro as you blast, shoot and blaze your way through a fairy tale land overrun with zombies. $19.99 – But it from Gamestop (DDN review coming soon…)

Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 4: Deluxe Edition – “Chronologically the sixth installment in the Persona series, Persona 4 is a suspenseful countryside murder mystery with multiple twists and turns in the plot that will have you guessing all the way to the end.” $34.99 – Buy it from Amazon (Deluxe Edition supplies are limited)

8-Bit Tie – Kindly replace your friend’s mustard-stained “Know Your Roots” retro gaming shirt that they bought from Target with this stylish 8-Bit Tie. Bring a little retro flare to the dinner table or office this holiday season. $14.99 – Buy it from ThinkGeek (Available in Classic Blue and Power Red)

Ultimate Shooting Collection – Light up the sky this holiday season with Ultimate Shooting Collection from UFO Interactive Games. Available exclusively on the Nintendo Wii, USC features three shooters, each with unique features and gameplay mechanice and all packed into one disc! That’s ‘Shmupanese’ for awesome! $29.99 – Buy it from Gamestop (Pre-order – Avail. January 19, 2009)

Odin Sphere 1/8 Scale Pre-Painted PVC Figure: Gwendolyn – Still wrapped up in the gorgeous Norse world of Odin Sphere..? So are we. Standing tall at a whopping 35 cm., this pre-painted PVC figure captures Gwendolyn in all of her elegance and beauty. The Valkyrie daughter of the Demon Lord Odin is looking for a cozy new home. $79.90 – Buy it from Play-Asia (Pre-order item – Avail. Dec. 2008)

Mirror’s Edge - Hopefully your holiday isn’t as cold and oppressing as The City, but you can still have some fun runnin’ from Johnny Law in this gorgeous first-person action-adventure game from DICE and EA. $59.99 – Buy it from EA (PC – $49.99) (DDN review coming soon)

Space Invaders Pillow – Celebrate the 30th anniversary of Space Invaders with these stylish pillows. Not only do they make great head rests for those long marathon gaming sessions, but kill the lights and they glow in the dark! $26.00 (ea.) – Buy them from Ningyoushi

Little Big Planet - Don’t let this one pass you by this holiday season. Join Sack Boy (it is ok to laugh, we do everytime we hear his name too) in a fully-customizable world fit for an king. Build, shape and explore just about anything and everything in this PS3 exclusive. $59.99 – Buy it from Amazon

Gears of War 2 - Marcus Fenix and the COG army return once again to rip the Locusts a “new one” in EPIC Games’ third-person tactical shooter for the Xbox 360. Grab your Lancer and heat things up this holiday season with Gears of War 2. $59.99 – Buy it from Amazon

The Film Fanatic:

Batman – The Complete Animated Series – The Two-time Emmy award winning animated series finally comes home in Batman – The Complete Animated Series. Tossing in the kitchen sink, this 17-disc set features a beautifully designed Bat-case, 8 Bonus Featurettes, 12 Creator Commentaries, a documentary on Batman’s Animated Evolution and comes with a 40 Page Collector’s Book. The only thing its missing is a Utility Belt. $75.99 – Buy it from Amazon

The Dark Knight: Limited Edition with Bat-pod (+Digital Copy and BD Live) [Blu-ray] – Continuing in the same vain of Batman; The Dark Knight Two-Disc Blu-Ray Limited Edition is a Bat-fan’s dream come true. Not only are you giving the gift of this year’s top-grossing blockbuster hit in full 1080P, but the lucky recipient is also gets a cool scale Bat-pod replica and sweet display stand to house their discs. $46.99 – Buy if from Amazon

Netflix Subscription – What better way to stay out of the cold this holiday season than with a Netflix subscription. Choose from over 100,000 DVDs and 12,000 thousand that can be watched instantly! And then since there are no late fees, feel free to borrow DVDs from the person you are giving the subscription to; just make sure to return them…eventually. Starting at $4.99 – Get it from Netflix

Movie Collectorz - Catalog, sort, export and print your entire collection of films with this quick and easy-to-use program. To optimize search results film information is pulled from various online film databases which include: IMDB, Amazon DVD and DVD Empire. Now if I can just remember who has my copy of The Wizard…. $29.95 – Buy it from Collectorz

The Book Worm:

Watchmen Graphic Novel – Dying to find someone to go watch next year’s big box-office smash with? Well, get them caught up to speed with the Watchmen Graphic Novel. 416 pages of super hero and evil villain goodness. $15.99 – Buy it from Borders

KIELI VOL. 1 – Follow the story of a 14 year-old girl whose only friend is a semi-departed spirit who used to inhabit the room of her boarding school. As fate may have it, they duo meet up with a young boy who shares Kieli’s gift and even has a tag-along friend of his own: an undead soldier. Nothing too obscure here, no. $9.34 – Buy it from Amazon

S.S. Astro, Vol. 1: Asashio Sogo Teachers’ Room - A group of high school teachers and their slice-of-life adventures. Its as if the Azumanga girls had grown up to become teachers. $8.79 – Buy it from Amazon

The Audio & Technophile:

Grado SR-80 Over Ear Headphones – If looks could kill, the Grado SR-80s would be about as deadly as a NERF dart to the cranium. But don’t let their appearance fool you, these headphones are killers in disguise. And I sort of have to admit that I do adore their old-school physique. They are even more comfortable than they appear to be too. These ladies and gentlemen, are the best set of headphones for your money, hands down. $95.00 – Buy them from AVHIFI

Ziotek Media Carousel Plus Black Special Edition – This is the only item that violates our $100 budget, but hey, it was just too damn cool not to include. If you’re like me you either have or know someone who has stacks upon stacks of discs cluttering their desk, and the Ziotek Media Carousel is like a mechanical maid sent from above to help us get organized. Summon forth any one of 150 CD/DVDs with the push of a button or the click of a mouse. Not only does it look slick in its Special Edition Black, but it is also compatible with Collectorz software, and with multiple USB hubs the unit is linkable up to 127 units. That’s 19,050 discs at your fingertips!  $139.00 – Buy it from X-treme Geek

VDC Series Yakuza Mimobot by eetteekers – So you call yourself a gangster huh? Well now you can put your data where your mouth is with this slick Yakuza Mimobot flash drive. Show your coworkers, peers and classmates that you run the game when it comes to data storage. Starting at $24.95 for 1GB – Buy it from Mimoco

The Otaku (Some gifts are 18+ and are NSFW. You’ve been warned!):

Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann – Yoko Cushion Cover (Re-release) – They tell you that they are gonna’ hang it up on their wall…sure. You and I both know what they plan on doing with this pillow cover. And you know what, I don’t blame them. Ah sigh, so ronrey. $91.95 – Buy it from Hobby Search

And while we’re here…

Body Pillow – …you might as well give the recipient a body pillow to go along with their cushion cover. And at 54” x 20” its a perfect fit. $19.99 – buy it from Bed, Bath & Beyond

Philips Norelco BodyGroom - Let’s not be coy here fellas’. Some otaku are like Michael J Fox in Teen Wolf. Not to say that a little body hair is a bad thing, but let’s keep it trimmed and under control. Give the Body Groomer to say…a loved one this holiday season and let the gift do all of the talking. $39.99 – Buy it from Philips

Hatsune Miku Re-release (PVC Figure) - Back on the production line due to overwhelming demand, Miku, the original voice of Vocaloid, is ready to rock. At 1/10 scale she is fully articulated and painted to near perfection. She comes ready to rock with a microphone, microphone stand, interchangeable hands, a posing base and other goodies. $24.32 – Buy it from Hobby Search

Ikki Tousen -Great Guardians- Kanu & Ryomou Bathroom Poster – Ok, this one is meant to be hung, but not in just any ol’ room, no siree. This poster is meant to be hung in your bathroom. And pending the person you’re giving it to bathes, this Ikki Tousen poster featuring the sexy Kanu and Ryomou is sure to spruce up that boring old room where we apparently spend 1/3 of our lives. Oh, and did I mention that it is waterproof. $13.28 – Buy it from Hobby Search

Queens Blade P-9 Ancient Queen 1/8 Menace Excellent Model Core PVC Figure – Hobby Japan’s Queen’s Blade franchise originated as a series of female-only visual combat books based off of licensed works of Lost Worlds. Since their inception these lovely ladies have been represented through comics, doujinshi, phone cards, cell phone games, figures (like you see here) and starting in 2009 will even have thei own television series. There is simply no denying Menace, the Egyptian goddess. $74.99 – Buy it from Hobby Fan (Pre-order item – Avail. June 30, 2009)

Well that just about does it folks. We hope that you enjoyed the Dark Diamond Holiday Gift Guide – 2008 Edition as much as we did compiling it. As new gift ideas spring into mind we will be sure to update the guide accordingly, so please continue to check back daily. And if any of our readers are overflowing with holiday spirit feel free to share the wealth and hook us up with one of the gifts listed above (I’ll keep my fingers crossed for Menace :3). Aside from that have a safe, fun and happy holiday, and mind the spiked Egg Nog.

-Your Friends at Dark Diamond