Call me cheap but I'm not willing to pay fifty dollars a year for xbox live.  Thing is though the online component seems to be the biggest draw of the 360.  Is the system worth it without onlnie gaming and XBLA?

You have access to everything online except for multiplayer. You can download demos and videos for free, you just need to sign up for a silver account, which is free. The gold account allows the multiplayer. If you can't live without online multiplayer, and you refuse to pay 50 bucks a year, don't bother with the 360.

Millions of people have survived without it. I'm sure you will too.

Is it worth it, though? If you likes the game for it, then by all means buy it.

Yea just get the silver membership because if multiplayer isn't a draw for you don't pay for the gold.  You can still get just about all the features except playing with other people.

you can play without it.. I don't have XBL gold for 6 month now.... but I will get it as soon as halo 3 is released... if you don't play multi or don't have friends with an XB and live gold I can understand.... but if you like multi and have a lot of friend playing live... I don't see how $4,17 a month is problem for the fun you can get fraging you friends from the comfort of your living room... hell it's cheaper than a guiness in most pubs and club

Mass Effect and Bioshock don't need gold memberships.

Neither do Blue Dragon, Eternal Sonata, GTA IV

It's really just for FPS's

Is the 360 worth it without XBLA?  Apparently one-third of 360 owners think so. 

http://kotaku.com/gaming/how-do-i-xbla/almost-one-third-of-360-owners-unaware-of-xbox-live-arcade-289091.php

I enjoy a lot of games with out live, though I have been a member since day 1. rainbow 6 has a great offline game, forza is challenging on hard. viva pinata was good.

really there are a lot of good offline games, so id say yes, but i think they need to make the downloadable content patches, demos and what not free to silvers, if it is not.

the biggest benefit i get form live is i can still play all of my original games on it, espn 2k4, call up a friend and start our game, or go boot up ghost recon jungle storm, there are still people out there playing.

I have heard EA is closing some of their old ones off and his bothers me, its always been part of my understanding that it is guaranteed that with the XBL subscription, i will for as long as i own the game and a working system can play it..... damn EA and private contract.

They are free.

It seems like it was the only way Microsoft could get EA to bring their sports games to the Xbox/Xbox 360.  EA does it on all the consoles they develop for even the Wii.