After waiting in line for more than 24 hours, Uchendu Nwachukwu, left, and Darnell Jefferson, right, react to receiving the first copies of the video game "Halo 3" from the game’s hero, Master Chief, at Best Buy in Manhattan at midnight.

A bunch of people waited in line last night to get their precious Halo 3.  Darnell Jefferson is the kind of guy you want to get first.

Hip-hop artist Ludacris, center, is on hand to celebrate the launch of "Halo 3" for Xbox 360 with the game’s hero, Master Chief, and Darnell Jefferson, right, one of the first recipients to receive the game at midnight tonight in New York.

Hip hop’s been one aspect of promoting Halo 3 with a previous launch events in Atlanta featuring Big Boi and Lil Jon.

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates is on hand at the launch of Halo 3, the most anticipated video game in history, to present Halo 3 to the first fan in line, Ritesh David, at midnight.

[Photos & Captions Courtesy PRNewsFoto/MICROSOFT]

Available from Amazon:

Halo 3 for the XBox 360