Marketplace Updates: A
I personally never had any issues with the blade system before, but then again I didn't buy a whole helluva lot of games and/or upgrades.



That said, the Netflix streaming alone is enough to push this over into the "wow!" category for me. The "cover flow" look is nice too . . .



Installing Games Onto Hard Drive: D.
I tired this immediately with Madden '09. Constant lags on animations, and the half-time "Key Plays" replay screen crashed my system. I did a little research and read this article. So basically any game manufactured by any company who knows how to actually use the 360 to it's fullest is going to suffer by installing it onto your HD. The only saving grace was reduced disc whirrrrrrrrrrrr


Avatar: B+
It's fun, but limited. Made a decent approximation of my likeness:



But I wish I could change some more clothes, since already 2 of my friends are wearing the same outfit (and that's embarrassing!). Plus, Lord knows I love playing dress-up with characters (see Madden, NCAA, etc)


Friends / Community: B
It looks nice but still has it's problems. I don't understand how to "party" (especially since you can only turn your head) and I wish there was a way to affect the building / space station / rock band stage behind your character. Also it's crashed on me several times. Ugh . . .