How so? The concept is basically the same. They do yearly or bi-yearly updates of their respective series they do not allow you to keep your old progress? Year 1 and year 2 are separate from one and other. You don't get to keep your old stuff just because you want it REALLY bad. Its called progress.

Those are new games entirely, not just updates or expansions..The difference is when The Taken King comes out, we'll still have possession of everything we had prior to The Taken King, while when you move over to Halo 2 from 3 you never had anything from the previous one with you in the first place. You're on an entirely new slate. Honestly, WoW Expansions would've been a better comparison. When you buy the pack, you still have ownership of everything you had BEFORE the content was released, but will have to get rid of said items in order to keep up with the higher-leveled content through getting the new items which are obviously more powerful than what you had before.

And yet Bungie is swearing up and down that this is equivalent to a whole new game.....

It's the equivalent of a new title in a series, but will allow you to continue from where you were in the last game/expansion with everything you had before in the same world. That's what an expansion is.

Yes your gear will be useful in the beginning, but you will be forced to move on to items with higher overall stats. Just like every other expansion makes you do the same.

[quote]but will have to get rid of said items in order to keep up with the higher-leveled content through getting the new items which are obviously more powerful than what you had before.[/quote] I literally said that at the end of my initial reply to you..Slow down a bit and actually read what I said.