XBOX360 online play question

[Beta]

I have read something about silver and gold cards for 360 online....
My question is if I buy a 360 then do I have to buy a subscription(gold card?) to play any game online, or do some games not require this subscription?
Thanks

 

[Gambit]

Not sure if this applies to xbox live for SA consoles but the following is from wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xbox_360

Silver and Gold
With the launch of the Xbox 360, Microsoft's online gaming service, Xbox Live went through a major upgrade, adding a basic non-subscription service, Silver, to its already established premium subscription-based service, Gold. Xbox Live Silver is free of charge and allows users to create a user profile, join on message boards, access Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade and Marketplace and talk to other members.[15] An Xbox Live Silver account does not generally support multiplayer gaming; however, some games that feature their own subscription service (such as Final Fantasy XI) can be played with a Silver account. Xbox Live supports voice communication along with video communication, a feature possible with the Xbox Live Vision Camera.[16]

Xbox Live Gold has the same features as Silver, plus online game playing capabilities. Microsoft has allowed for previous Xbox Live subscribers to maintain their profile information, friends list, and games history when they make the transition to Xbox Live Gold. To transfer an Xbox Live account to the new system, users need to link a Windows Live ID to their gamertag on Xbox.com.[17] When users go to add a Xbox Live enabled profile to their console, they need to provide the console with their passport account information and the last four digits of their credit card number, which is used for verification purposes and billing. An Xbox Live Gold account generally costs $49.99 USD,[18] $59.99 CDN,[18] £39.99 Pounds Sterling, €59.99 per year.

 

[useless]

when you buy and register your X360 on the www.xboxlive.com website you will create a nick.

your basic LIVE subscription is SILVER and you will have a 1 month GOLD trial as soon as you register.

If you have registered in the UK as your homebase then you will have to purchase a LIVE subscription in UK pounds. I had a friend from the UK purchase one for me and then i used his address to finalize the registration details.

You can buy GOLD subscriptions in SA, Animeworx and Prophecy have them at around R600 for one year.

Well worth it if you intend to play a lot online with friends!