Back in September our Xbox 360 finally kicked the bucket after nearly four years. Since the console was so old, we had to save up the cash for the $100 repair. Now, we knew this was worth the cost with the upcoming games so we jumped on it as soon as we could. The repair took a lot less time than we thought it would at just under two weeks from the time we shipped it. Also, the console we got back was not ours, which is exactly what we wanted to happen since again, ours was so old.

So it's been a couple weeks since we've had it back and I've gotten back in the swing of things with some Mirror's Edge action and Left 4 Dead's new Crash Course campaign. I'm racking up achievements and everything is going well until I get a little bored while my husband's rockin WoW. I go to put in a DVD and the console they sent us isn't designed for use in America! It doesn't play region 1 discs which means I cannot watch any of the hundred in my collection. Not even Death Note, why?!?

Why, why, why would you send me a console designed for use halfway around the world? Are you not thinking? The very nice customer service girl actually had the nerve to ask me if I tried the 4 discs I tested in a DVD player. My response of course, was "um, the 360 IS my dvd player". Anyway long story short I am waiting for a shipping label for repair number 2 and 360 number 3.

Gosh you piss me off Microsoft.

So as you all know our main console, a nearly 4 year old X-box 360, has died after many good times. We have run into a dilemma, the first part being that I am currently unemployed. And the Rhode Island economy is bad enough. It's already been a few months but I am confident something will come along.

Back to the subject at hand. With so many great games coming this holiday season (and 1Q 2010 of course) we don't know what to save up for first. Arkham Asylum is already out, and you can play Joker on the PS3????!!! Plus Wet finally comes out Tuesday. Plan A was to not only pay the $99 to repair the 360, but to also purchase a 360 Elite so we can have one in the bedroom. Plan B is to save up and finally get that PS3 as a joint holiday gift.

Any suggestions?

So just last week, my husband and I are rocking Left 4 Dead Survival mode hardcore when the game freezes up. Let me tell you right now, there is nothing like a graphics error for the first time in a four year relationship. Well, four years next month. A rash of tiny black and blue boxes grew across the screen and I nearly soiled myself, no joke. My husband carefully backs out. pause game, main menu, dashboard, restart console. Then we got the E-74 error message and made the call to Microsoft.

The warranty had been extended not only to 3 years from date of purchase, but they had also expanded the free repairs to E-74 and RROD. Unfortunately, my husband had gone out and bought his system the day it went on sale, so our only mistake was being loyal or perhaps, treating our system better than most. What made me mad was this: if you are going to acknowledge that this is a problem for which you are at fault (even in your shady, coded way) and you agree to repair scores of them for free, you should repair them all for free. I know mine lasted 11 months longer than the warranty, but that does NOT make the error my fault. I do acknowledge that for it lasting so long, I damn sure did get my money's worth, but there is no proof the error would have occurred had manufacturing went properly. It's the principle of the matter. I pick my battles and for my loyalty, our loyalty, I think we deserve some appreciation. For one, for all.