I was on Live from day one, though I think I let it lapse for a year or two.
Back on Xbox I dont remember much about it. I remember my first game of Unreal Championship with people talking, it was uncommon then so it seemed kind of awkward.
Anyways yeah, on Xbox, Live was mostly a curiosity imo. Only the 360 version did it really become worthwhile.
Interesting that its still the same price. Given inflation, it means really the price has dropped. At 3% inflation per year, $50 in 2002 is equivalent to about $40 now. I'm expecting MS to bump the price to 59 sometime.