Nathan Fillion More Handsome In ‘Halo 5,’ Huge Blowout Launch Activities Planned

Nathan Fillion is currently best known for the Castle television series, but video game fans know him as Sergeant Buck from Halo 3: ODST and soon to be Spartan Buck in Halo 5. The actor appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live Wednesday and 343 Industries and Microsoft followed up by dropping details on its massive launch plans for the Xbox One exclusive.

Fillion’s appearance on Jimmy Kimmel’s late night show was punctuated with the talk show host sharing a picture of the Buck from Halo 5. The actor explained how 343 Industries flew him to its Seattle office to model the character after him and the changes that have been made since he did the same for Halo 3: ODST. He previously just had some pictures taken of his face and that was mapped to the in-game character. This time he had to sit in one of the facial capture rigs that’s increasingly being used in performance capture.

“Can you make it look like I’m just a little bit better looking than I actually am?” Fillion asked the tech running the facial capture software.

The magic worked as Fillion related the comments he was getting about the look of Buck in Halo 5.

“People are on Twitter going hey there’s a guy in Halo 5 that looks just like you, only better looking,” he wryly said.

Halo 5 is not just making Nathan Fillion more handsome. Developer 343 Industries and Microsoft also have “the biggest game launch in Xbox history” planned. This includes a global celebration that features streaming events via YouTube and previews coupled with live events from different countries around the globe. The events range from panels featuring the writers of the game and Nathan Fillion, to sending Master Chief and Spartan Locke action figures to the edge of space.

• The world premiere of Halo: The Fall of Reach episode 1, the new animated series that tells the dramatic tale of the origin and intrigue behind the SPARTAN program that propelled characters like the Master Chief and Dr. Catherine Halsey into the pantheon of Halo lore.
• The first Xbox roundtable featuring the writers behind Halo 5: Guardians and Nathan Fillion, the voice of Spartan Buck.
• Special documentaries will get up close and personal with Halo superfans around the world, showcasing what makes Halo Nation unlike any other community in gaming.
• A lucky fan in Australia will play Halo 5: Guardians from a helicopter flying over Sydney, as gameplay is broadcasted via a screen suspended from a second helicopter.
• In London, iconic entertainment venue The Roundhouse will transform into a Halo 5: Guardians celebration, with a friendly tournament between four teams of YouTube creators and fans. U.K. fans can win a chance to attend the London event by visiting http://bit.ly/1REsmt6.
• In celebration of a Halo superfan from Japan who has played over 10,000 hours of Halo, Master Chief and Agent Locke action figurines will travel to the edge of space for the most epic Gamertag selfie.
• A Taiwanese cosplayer will bring his passion for the Master Chief to life when he collaborates with one of the hottest jewelry designers in Australia to recreate the Master Chief’s helmet with more than 30,000 Swarovski crystals. The one-of-a-kind helmet will be unveiled during the show and kick-start a chance for gamers around the world to bid on it for charity.
• In New Zealand, Halo fans will converge at the close of the Armageddon Expo for multiplayer sessions, cosplay displays and more.
• In Hong Kong, a real-life course inspired by the new Halo 5: Guardians competitive Arena multiplayer mode, “Breakout,” will be constructed, putting Halo fans into real 4v4 combat.
• In New York City, a special fan destination will take place at the brand new flagship store Microsoft at Fifth Ave. and 53rd St., located in the heart of Manhattan and culminating in the midnight launch of Halo 5: Guardians.

Before Spartan Locke and Master Chief face off in Halo 5, they will meet on the race track. Sort of. There will be dueling NASCAR race cars at the Hollywood Casino 400 at the Kansas Speedway this weekend on Sunday, October 18. Dale Earnhardt, Jr.’s number 88 car will sport a Master Chief paint scheme while Jamie McMurray’s number 1 will represent Spartan Locke with its paint job.

What do you think of the Halo 5 launch event? And, is Spartan Buck truly more handsome than Nathan Fillion? Sound off in the comments below.

[Images via Xbox, Halo Waypoint, FanPop]