[Dan the Man]

I agree in that Gundams in the later episodes of Destiny are rediculously overpowered. The grunt pilots might as well just sit back and watch the main characters duel it out, otherwise they're dead.

As or the overpowered Gundams in Wing, I think that's because of such a large technology gap between the Gundams and OZ suits. At first, the 5 Gundam scientists made Wing Zero, which was way, WAY too powerful. So, they dumb it down to the Tallgeese, which is still way too expensive and unsafe for the average schmuck pilot. Then, it's dumbed down even more into the Leo, which we all know could be taken down with a slingshot. It's basically taking a Ferrari and downgrading it to a Pinto. That, combined with the Zero technology which was advanced over 20 years to the start of the series, compared to the Leo which didn't advance at all, and you've got 5 suits which will kill anything and everything in their sights.

I personally like the idea of the Gundam being just another unit in a grander military force. Sure, it's better, but just by enough to get the main character through the story alive. The battles which put the character's life in serious danger make for a more compelling fight, and a more memorable one. The last few fights in 08th MS Team are a great example of this. A lot of it is one on one, but the battle is so desperate, so close to the wire that either pilot could win. Shiro doesn't just turn on his God Mode cheat to destroy every enemy on the field, he honestly struggles, and just barely manages to pull through. I'll take a fight like that over a clearly one sided Destiny battle anyday, though, that's just my opinion...