Reviews for Xbox Live Subscription Card

Xbox Live Revolutionizes Online Gaming

Strengths: Quick, easy access with friends and online gaming

Weakness: Multiple accounts can get expensive, initial hardware setup costs.

Microsoft created Xbox Live to implement full online play to Xbox Live enabled games and they managed to pull it off. Many games that feature multiplayer modes often have Xbox Live play also and no other game utilized Xbox Live more than Halo 2 with a gigantic fanbase and community (albeit not everyone is polite and mature).

Xbox Live not only enables online play for a wide range of games, it also allows for Downloadable Content which can be either be on a pay-to-download basis or a free basis, it all depends on the game developer/publisher and Microsoft.

There are some annoyances and downfalls of Xbox Live. As with all online games, there are bound to be children and adults alike that do scream profanity and racial remarks, this can be countered with the Mute function that is enabled in many games. Sometimes the Xbox Live service will lag on rare occasions. The last complaint about this is that you must pay to play, but the bright side is that you can buy the subscription based on your needs, whether it be 3 months to a full year, the annual subscription being the most cost friendly at around 13.69 cents per day at $49.99 a year.

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Xbox Live Rocks

I just started using live when i got my xbox 360 and It is awesome. I love being able to download new games and demos. Its also great to be able to chat live with the people I am playing against.

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Xbox Live Subscription Card

Strengths: Fast, lots of options

Weakness: sometimes laggy

Xbox Live is MS' way of letting Xbox owners play online. overall, it's pretty good -- games run pretty fast online and there's a lot of stuff that supports Xbox Live through downloads, online play, and other things. Depending on your ISP, it can be a little laggy, but overall, it's great.

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Xbox Live Subscription Card

Strengths: Allows you to connect with other players live online.

Weakness: None

At first I was skeptical about how this "live" thing was going to work. But I have to say, after playing now for 9 months I wouldn't hesitate in a minute. Very entertaining and exciting. Instead of waiting around for someone to play a game against you or playing against the same ole computer, you can now log on and play against others waiting. Very fun!

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Xbox Live Subscription Card

Strengths: Fun, replay value, fun, communicator, and fun (did I mention how much fun this was?)

Weakness: Price, ongoing subscription cost, hardware setup, and hardware cost

I must admit, I have been a skeptic of the ability of any console unit to provide the same type of online gaming experience that is available on my PC. Xbox Live has quelled that skepticism. I can honestly say that Microsoft has done an outstanding job with their implementation of Live! From beginning to end, my experience with Live was a positive one.

The only downside to Live is the costs involved with it and the network setup if you don't know what you are doing. Right off the bat there will be a lot of folks who won't be able to consider it due to the fact that a high speed Internet connection (cable modem, DSL, T1, etc.) is required. Most people will need some additional hardware to get the Xbox online and that will cost you. If you don't connect it directly to your cable modem, you'll need to set up a home network of sorts. The Xbox Live site is a great resource for more information on this. If you already have a network set up, then adding your Xbox to it should be a piece of cake.

The cost of the starter kit can also be a bit much for some folks. You can get around this eventually by searching the net for discounts, sales, or coupon codes. Also, the idea of an ongoing yearly subscription fee is bothersome--I don't like the idea of having to pay a recurring fee in order to play games online. Keep in mind that Microsoft has the right to increase this fee at any time which is not necessarily a good thing for subscribers.

Now for the good stuff! My Xbox Live experience has been absolutely incredible!! Microsoft has geared this stuff toward the average Joe. By that I mean that the setup for Live was clean, quick, and concise. It walked you through every step of the process and provided you with possible solutions to any problems that you might have. Microsoft's setup wizard was a tremendous help. I can't say enough good things about the Live setup. Nice job, Microsoft.

The gameplay is just fantastic. Of course, you're going to have the occasional slowdown or lag, but for the most part my game play experience was as smooth as silk. And the communicator! Wow! I never expected it to work as well as it did. Just plug it into your controller and start talking to your teammates. Very smooth, very slick. Once again, kudos go to Bill Gates and the gang. I have heard complaints about foul language on Live and I'm sorry to say that it is true. If you aren't offended by R-rated movies, then no problem. If you are...guess what? Just unplug your headset, reload, and make them feel the pain!!

Of all the games that I have played online, Halo 2, Rainbox Six 3, and Madden 2005 really stand out. The online capabilities of these games are simply awesome! If you want to have a good time, pick one of these up and get Live--you won't regret it. Additionally the content download feature is really nice as well. The additional planet in Knights of the Old Republic was a joyous moment for me!

Finally, you can even go on Live and use it to simply chat with your friends! Do you have friends that you want to keep in touch with, but don't want to go broke paying long distance fees? Simply go online and chat with them via Live. Of course, it is much more fun to blow them away in Halo 2, but to each his own.

In conclusion, Live is an incredible piece of work that has clearly had a lot of thought put into it. Aside from the costs involved and the possible hardware setup struggles, this is a great product and I would easily recommend it to anyone who is even remotely interested in it. You will have loads of fun with this thing now and in the future. With more Live-enabled titles coming out everyday this experience can only get better!

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Xbox Live Subscription Card

Strengths: Fun to play online

Weakness: Cost

I bought a subscription to Xbox live when I bought Halo 2 (had 2 month trial, but I wanted to extend it). Xbox has over 100 games you can plan online.

I like that I can set up a buddy list. I also like the options it gives me for choosing a game (can jump right in or set certain parameters). I've been gaming online with PCs for about 7 years (started with Quake 2), and it's nice to see the progression that online gaming has made. The biggest difference is that I don't have to pay to game online with a PC (yet), but I do have to pay to game online with an Xbox. However, when you break down the cost, I supposed $1/week isn't that bad.

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Xbox Live Subscription Card

Strengths: Quality of experience especially with Halo 2 - very few service glitches or problems, and games are always available.

Weakness: You have to listen to 12 year olds who can't control their mouth!

XBox Live, especially playing Halo 2, is a great experience. The service has improved greatly since the first time I tried it with Ghost Recon. Integration with MSN alerts is also a great feature that allows you to keep up with friends playing.

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Great Value

Strengths: The same product you would buy in the store for less.

Weakness: None

I tried purchasing this and honestly thought it was to good to be true. It wasnt. I recieved the card and applied it, at my anniversary date, to my XBOX live account. It was the "Gold" level for XBOX 360 users and I didnt have to pay extra.

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XBox Live Review

It was exactly what I was looking for. I would recommend this item for friends and family if they were looking for it. It was cheap and at a very reasonable price. The cheapest one I have found to date.

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Xbox Live Subscription Card

Strengths: "Live" for Broadband only

Weakness: not free like PS2

XBOX live is for broadband only, so you dont have much lags when you're playing online like PS2. And it's very fun to play online includes: fighting, chatting or discussing with other people. However, it costs around 50 bucks to get the 1 year subscription which is probably still high in my humble opinion. Overall, it's worth 50 bucks

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By member: mumpkin - Nov 9, 2004

Xbox Live Subscription Card

Strengths: The ability to play the same game simultaneously with other players, anywhere.

Weakness: Communicator headset is cheaply made. Some may not want to pay the $40 for a yearly membership.

Wasn't sure how this would really catch one when it was first launched. I've already had to replace the communicator headset a few times. Regardless, there is nothing comparable to playing live with other gamers.

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Xbox Live Subscription Card

Strengths: it works

Weakness: id like to actually get the subscription card too so i know im not getting cheated.

emailing the code is a good idea but they need to indicate that the buyer will not be getting a physical subscription card on their website. its a bit misleading but the code that was emailed to me was valid.

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