Xbox Live is Microsoft's online service for the Xbox 360. While Sony provides this online servuce for free at the moment for the Playstation 3, Micorsoft has put a MSRP of $49.99 on their online service. Though recently, retialers have been discounting these cards $10-20 off so keep your eyes open for a good deal.

Xbox Live's main function is that it allows you to play the games you bought online, if the feature is included. For instance if you bought Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, the single player campaign is only 6-8 hours long. Pretty short for a game that is costing you $60. With Xbox Live, you can now play that game against people all over the world for 100s of hours if you like. In essence, Live can extend the life of a game pretty dramatically.

Another cool feature is the access to Microsoft's Marketplace. Here you can buy Xbox Live Arcade games like Bejeweled, download demos of games released or soon to be released for free, rent/buy movies, buy DLC content for you games, etc.

Also Live has a ton of community features like Facebook, Last.fm, Twitter, friend list and voice chat. Voice chat is great because while playing a game, you can talk to your friend without having to use your cellphone minutes. You do not even need to be playing the same game to chat which is great. Just pick your friend out from friend list and start chatting.

While Live is great, there is a major problem that parents should know. Every game played online has voice chat enabled. This can lead to some players being complete jerks where they will use foul, vile language that is not suitable for kids. I guess some players find it funny to talk like sailors, but it can get very offensive. Now I play mostly Mature rated games so I assume this is not a problem for kid games, but it is an issue that parents need to know. Always be sure to check the ESRB ratings found in front of games before buying.

Live is a great feature that is definitely worth paying for so keep your eyes open for when retailers like Amazon have these cards on sale. See you online.

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the product itself was fine i mean it's xbox live, clearly i knew what i was getting.

But it took for freakin EVER to get it even shipped. I don't understand how one stupid card could take like a week and a half to receive.

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I bought this card from Amazon for 10 dollars less than I have seen it anywhere else.

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What A great price! I have told all my friends on Xbox Live about this deal. I think I am going to buy another just to have when my subscription runs out in 13 months. This is a must have for any gamer.

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I could not have chosen a better gift for my grandson than the 12-Month-Gold-Card. He and his friends get together on line and have a terrific time. The product came quickly and was exactly what he wanted. Thank you.

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I'm a huge supporter of Xbox Live, and the deal Amazon runs for it is usually the best around. Whether it be arcade games, MMORPGs, indy games, FPSs, or classic Xbox titles, you can find it all on Xbox live. Come mid-November 2008, the experience will be even cooler with the addition of avatars and a movie-streaming venture with NetFlix. (this is one of the main reasons I got Live) It's affordable and it's got something for everyone. If you have a good internet connection, and you have an Xbox360, there's no reason to be without it.

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When you buy this card, you get an extra month. That's 13 months for a great price.

Xbox Live is the leading service as far as online experiences on gaming consoles is concerned.

There are tons of arcade games you can purchase and download, movies to rent, tv episodes to buy (both past series and present).

Xbox Live gives you worldwide leaderboards on almost every single Xbox 360 game available when you are connected to live. You can chat with friends too.

This item is worth it and makes a great gift for any Xbox 360 gamer.

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Well this thing was pretty cool because it was basically 13 months for the price of 12 months. The best thing about it is that Amazon usually has good deals on this thing, i got it for under 40 so it was way better than getting xbox live through microsoft.

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The card came complete with bullet proof plastic, which took some doing to open. Thus, it was brand new with a tab to peal off to reveal code. Easy to use, and I get to keep the remainder of my free trial. Good deal all around. All I need now is a good deal on points because Microsoft gives no deals at all, ever!

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This is for the xbox 360 xbox live Gold card. Amazon had it for a reasonable price and was fast getting it to me. I always trust Amazon for getting what I need.

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more fun then u could imagine. logging on and partying up with people from all over the nation to dust n00bs couldnt b better then with live!! seriously recommended for ne1 who isnt on live yet

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It was an AMAZING price how could I go wrong! An with My other xbox live running out I needed something fast! Thanks So much for the great price, fast shipping!!

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Xbox live is a blast. And this gets it to you much cheaper then buying it through xbox live marketplace.

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Once you factor in the free month, you save about $10.00 over ordering directly on xbox live. ($44.00 with free shipping and 13 months compared to $49.99 on Live for 12 months.) Couldn't be easier to update, just enter the code on the back of the card and your done. Note: Microsoft seems to have fixed the code rubbing off problem some earlier reviewers were having. There is nothing to rub off. Code is printed on back of card. The only drawback I can see is if you renew on xbox live your account in updated instantly. If you order from amazon you have to wait until your card arrives to update your account so plan accordingly and order early, you'll save $$$$$ and get an extra month.

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I was stoked about this 10 bucks of. yeah its rad but i have to wait at least two weekes to get it. If your a non gamer than its no big deal. But im a gamer who playes almost every day, and im trying to scroung up 2 day cards from friends to stay alive. so dont buy if you need it right away.. if you do. you might as well buy it full price cause thats what shipping will cost.

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