Hooray for Halo-wood

Forget the paparazzi opportunities, the awards shows, and the $300-a-plate restaurants. On May 15, the big event in Hollywood was the gathering of the gamerati for the unveiling of the Halo® 3 multiplayer beta. As the stars gathered around Xbox 360™ consoles to dive into the beta, they were among the first to hear that Halo 3 would be released around the world starting on September 25.

Major Nelson and Video Monkey were in on all the action, and they filed these video reports.

The Venue Get the red-carpet tour of the venue—and a sneak peek at the Halo 3 gameplay. High | Low

As you'd expect at a Hollywood party, you couldn't wave a controller without hitting a celebrity. In the crowd we bumped shoulders with Chris Evans (The Human Torch from the Fantastic Four films), Dane Cook, Geoffrey Rush, Aisha Tyler, Jennifer Elise Cox, and even a very special guest who starred in three Xbox® games.

The Stars Arrive It's a flood of stars (Flood, get it?) at the Halo 3 multiplayer beta premiere. High |Low

Jon Heder, of Napoleon Dynamite and Blades of Glory fame, was enjoying a heated exchange of fire when our own Major Nelson caught up with him.

Jon Heder Major Nelson bothers Blades of Glory star Jon Heder as he tries to play Halo 3. High | Low

The Halo 3 multiplayer producer, Joe (aka NEW0001), talked to Major Nelson about Halo 3 multiplayer, the new ability to save films, and how the addition of equipment affects gameplay.

Behind the Scenes Major finds out more about the game from the Halo 3 multiplayer producer. High | Low

While the party's over, you can join in the beta yourself from 5:00 A.M. PDT on May 16 through 11:59 P.M. PDT on June 6. Don't miss our exclusive Halo 3 hands-on look for the full scoop. We make no guarantees that you'll be able to frag Dane Cook, however.