'Halo 3' launched at film-style premiere

Microsoft welcomed both celebrities and gamers to its Halo 3 UK launch event last night at the IMAX cinema in London.

Pharrell Williams and Christian Slater both attended, greeting fans standing outside the cinema, as UK TV presenter Iain Lee hosted the event inside.

Although there were some audience delays, Williams was then called onstage to commence a Halo 3 battle with other celebrities based in locations around Europe. Carmen Electra took part from Paris, while LL Cool J was live from Amsterdam.

Gamers were then invited to take part in a shoot-out, with each two-versus-two deathmatch team represented by one half of the cinema audience who battled to win copies of the game for onlookers.

At the end of the event, Microsoft handed out a free copy of Halo 3 to all who attended, which was then followed by an invite-only after-show party in Soho.