The wait was finally over for video games fans when the final instalment in Microsoft's Halo trilogy went on sale at midnight.
Shops opened at midnight with fans queuing in some palces, desperate to get their hands on Halo 3.
But there was no such wait for US producer, singer and rapper Pharrell Williams, who was one of the star guests at the VIP launch party at London's Imax cinema last night.
Other guests who trod the red carpet were model Kimberly Stewart and Big Brother contestant Chanelle Hayes.
In America, where die hard fans also queued outside shops to get their hands on Halo 3 as soon as it was launched, there were reports that some video game disks in special limited-edition boxes were scratched.
Within hours of yesterday's launch, online forums featured postings from players that claim internal packaging failed to hold some disks in place and some are damaged.
Microsoft, which owns the studio that makes the game, said customers can send in their scratched limited-edition disks for a free exchange before the end of December.
"We have identified that there are some instances of blemishes on discs as a result of the packaging," said Microsoft spokesman David Dennis.
"This is a small fraction of the total number of Halo 3 games shipped and sold, and is a limited production version of the game."
Richard Mitchell, the chief writer of the Xbox 360 Fanboy blog, said one of the disks that came in his limited edition set was scratched, but that it did not seem to interfere with playback.
Global pre-orders for Halo 3 have passed the 1.25 million mark, according to Microsoft which expects its first week of revenue from Halo 3 sales worldwide to outstrip that of blockbuster films such as Spider-Man 3 and Harry Potter.
The first two chapters of the trilogy have sold more than 14.5 million copies worldwide. The hugely successful Halo trilogy is a key selling point for Microsoft in the console wars against rivals Nintendo and Sony.
John Haulihan, spokesman for gaming website www.computerandvideogames.com, said Halo was the "figurehead" game for the Xbox console. "This is the third part of a trilogy and it is going to wrap up all the story line. The anticipation amongst fans is absolutely huge," he said.
Halo 3 is based in a time when mankind is on the brink of extinction. Players take on the role of the last survivor of a secret military project who has to "fight to save humanity", according to Microsoft.
PA