The Wii was the first console to give its users the ability to create a digital representation of themselves. It also let us use our custom avatars in a plethora of games. Microsoft and Sony quickly hopped on that bandwagon and rode that wave all the way into shore with the 360's Avatar support and the PS3's Home.

Now, my whole reason for writing this lies in the Xbox 360's recent update. Now players can buy clothing, accessories and props for their avatars. Now, you'd figure that one dollar for a t-shirt is a reasonable price, which it is. I mean, it's a dollar. I don't mind letting go of a dollar. However, is there any reason why they're charging 400 MicroSoft points for a lightsaber? 320 for an RC warthog?

Straying from the topic at hand allow me to say, yes, I bought the lightsaber. I'm a fan girl who's been playing both KotOR games and Republic Commando recently, leave me alone. I also happen to be a Splinter Cell fan girl who squealed at the fact that I could dress my avatar up like Sam Fisher and I ended up buying both the Elite uniform and Sam Fisher outfit. I even got the Big Daddy doll to top it all off.

But outside of being aesthetically appealing to fan boys and girls around the world, what use do these have? Why did I just spend $15.00 on a few pieces of digital fangirlism? Where the hell are my steam punk goggles!? Aside from giving us more reasons to throw our money away, I can't really see any reason why anybody would feel the need to purchase these things. Our fanboyism if going to drive us to be suckered into this scheme and let's be honest, there's nothing we can really do about it. At least we'll eventually be able to unlock items as rewards when we play games. Is there an award for spending too much money in the Avatar Marketplace?

I'm also disappointed in the lack of unique items. I know I'm kind of complaining about them, but bare with me. If they're going to add them, they should add something for each game. There's no Spartan armor in the Halo 3 section, but there's marine armor in the ODST section which doesn't make sense. It's Halo 3: ODST, so wouldn't it be better provide us with the various suits of armor that the characters they've introduced us to wear? If that's too much of an issue, then I'd be fine with armor that looks like Rookies. Bioshock gives us helmets that look out of place and a doll, but can I please have a Big Sister outfit? I want a giant cage for carrying Adam digesting children in on my avatars back. At least Star Wars, Gears of War, and Splinter Cell categories deliver unique items for players to sample and purchase if they so choose.

At least my avatar looks cute compared to my lifeless Home avatar. This actually gives me more of an incentive to give MS my money instead of Sony. I actually feel like I've been raped out of the small amount of money I put into my Home Avatar and I haven't really put any money into Home at all. Oh and Microsoft..... Mass Effect 2 is coming out early next year(hopefully), avatar items. Make it happen.