Well, Microsoft gets reasonably good marks for turnaround time in supplying me with a “Certified Microsoft Replacement Xbox360 Console” to replace my sadly deceased console.  It arrived last night, happily encased in a plain, but well-padded box which I will be retaining for the eventual day when I have to send it back for another replacement.

Of course, I didn’t luck into a new, HDMI-enabled, quieter-fan & drive console.  The one I got back was actually about a month older than the one I sent in.

Oh, and also of course, Microsoft botched the license reassignments, so I can’t actually play any of my XBLA titles without being logged into Xbox Live, even after following their instructions to redownload them from the Marketplace download history.

This would be why I hate the idea of download services instead of having physical media.  I’m going to have to call Microsoft’s customer service and try to get it sorted out, and I’m really not looking forward to that.

At least I’m only in for about 50 bucks worth of XBLA stuff.  Space Giraffe, Geometry Wars, Trigger Heart Exelica, Omega Five, Boogie Bunnies, and Rez HD are the only things I’ve paid for – if I can’t get Undertow and Carcassone back, it won’t bother me all that much.

But they had best get me back my shooters, or, or, or…

well, I guess I’d have to pout at them, or something.

That’s no idle threat.