Right after the show was over I went to iTunes and Rated it 5 stars and wrote a quick positive review guys.

I never played Secret of Mana and I was curious about it so this really helped me. I am not buying this game from what you guys talked about. I am into RPG's but this just seems like something you either hate or love, and it doesn't seem like something I will enjoy.

Oh yeah you guys haven't done Virtual Console and Wiiware section in a while. I don't mind news being a rare segment since big news is rare, but I love to hear your thoughts on Virtual Console and Wiiware every week. You sort of talked about it this week, but I like its own section. Now that DSi has downloads too I want to hear your impressions of that. I don't have DSi but I am still curious if the the stuff is any good.

One thing I have heard about flash memory is that the computers that use it as a primary storage device use an algorithm to minimize the number of writes to each portion of the memory.

Glad to hear you're doing a Super Metroid special. I actually won my copy off of Nintendo back when they were on AOL, and somewhat interestingly I used that copy for a video VC review I did in 2007.

Adolph, thanks for the review.  We stopped doing VC Mondays because it was outdated, boring, and not very informative.  Many weeks, none of us had downloaded any of the new games, so we didn't have much to say about them.  I think it's better if we use New Business to talk about any new DLC that we may have purchased.

I tried to like Secret of Mana when I downloaded it several months back (I never got a chance to play it on the SNES), but honestly I thought the game was pretty...boring, and it all comes down to the lame "charge...hit...run away...charge...hit...run away" combat.  I admire the novelty of having multiplayer in the game, but unfortunately I could never convince my best friend to actually play it with me because the combat didn't look fun to him either.  Still, it's great to have such an important game on the VC.  I just wish we started getting the more interesting Action RPGs like Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Mr. Broodwars in regards to Secret of Mana! SHOCKING. ;)

I'm only part of the way through it, but Greg's editing RULES.

Yes, it is called wear-leveling. I do worry a bit about what type of memory Nintendo has put in there, because it is highly likely they did cheap out. Chances are it is MLC and not SLC. MLC allows for 10,000 writes, whereas SLC is 100,000. MLC is not really a problem if there is a good wear-leveling controller used. Also, there are no worry about the amount of times it can be read, flash memory should always have the ability to be read even after the write limit.

Nintendo cheaping out? There are many complaints that can be leveraged against Nintendo but they don't cheap out in regards to the quality of the materials used to build their systems which is why they've always been so extremely reliable. So I wouldn't assume they used cheaper flash memory unless SLC wasn't that common back then.

Also I have one thing to say about Wormhead. YOU ARE WRONG AND SHOULD NEVER BE ON THE PODCAST AGAIN!

I really have to disagee with the opinion a few of you have that Majora's Mask is a better game than Ocarina of Time. Majora's Mask is the only Zelda game I hate. I think there is a reason it is the worst selling 3D Zelda game (and coming out so late in the N64's lifespan is not it).

I think the whole time travel thing was a horrible idea and that it was what ruined the game for me, I am glad they abandoned the concept after that.

While I don't hate it, I don't love it either. It was too different and I didn't enjoy the world very much, it was too small.

The actual gameplay of Majora's Mask wasn't that bad, I just hated the time thing. Like you said, it felt really small and it was probably because of the time issue.

I think the game was designed to do the best they could in a small development time frame. The 3 day time limit was more of a necessity then an option when designing it. For what they did in such a short amount of time was impressive and I can't take that away from them even if it isn't one of my favorites.

No need to get crazy. I mean, Nintendo has cut corners in the past, it wouldn't be unusual if they went with MLC rather than SLC. Although, I believe at the time, SLC was more common, so it may be in the system. Though I really don't know.

Anyway, time was never a problem for me in Majora's Mask. I never really felt constrained. Though I can see how some people could feel that way. I think they played it perfectly because in a sense there IS urgency, I mean the MOON IS FALLING. So I feel it helps you stay grounded in this world that could come to the end very soon.

I don't understand the complaints about the time aspect being too restricting, myself.  All you have to do is play the reverse Song of Time, and you have all the time you pretty much need for anything important.  And if you don't want to hang around till the 2nd or 3rd day when you need to be around to do something, just play the accelerated version of the same song to skip ahead.  I don't understand the problem here.  In any case, Majora's Mask is my favorite Zelda game, because it among all the Zelda games best captures the Emotion of the world.  Through observing and interfering in the lives of the Termina townsfolk, you actually develop a real connection to what would otherwise be standard NPCs.  I actually cared about what I was doing and who I was affecting in Majora's Mask, a feat that Nintendo has yet to repeat in any other Zelda game since.  It's like you're a Hylian Sam Beckett with the fairy as your Al.

Do you have any examples of this cutting corners when it comes to hardware design and the parts used? Nintendo from my experience IS the most reliable when it comes to putting together durable and long lasting hardware. Now perhaps the parts aren't cutting edge from a polygon pushing aspect, but the quality of the parts used is some of the best in the industry. It is odd no one knows what kind of flash memory they used.

I think by me using "cheap" you are misconstruing it as "unreliable". When that is not necessarily what I mean nor is it necessarily true. Hardware design wise is primarily what I was referring to. Although if I recall correctly some of the LCDs on the GBA/SP or the DS were of a "lesser" quality at one point.   

The problem for me is that you can't save the game anywhere, any time. It can take up to two straight hours to complete a dungeon, and you have to complete it all in one run because everything resets when you go back in time. It gets tedious because you end up doing the same things over and over each three-day period.

The Nintendo 64 analogue stick. It wears out through normal use, and Nintendo never improved the design or offered replacements. If they had used aluminum parts instead of plastic, this problem wouldn't exist.

My controllers never broke on the N64 and I had a lot of Goldeneye, Mario Kart, Perfect Dark and Smash Brothers parties. They were constantly used and still work fine. The only ones that broke were a cheap Mad Catz controller, one my sister chewed on when she was a toddler and another my friend spilled soda on. My other four I got never have failed me and I even still use then to this day. Maybe my friends just weren't as aggressive with them considering I threatened to ban them from touching my system if they threw and abused my controllers.

And on Majora's Mask, just start the dungeon on the first day. If I opened the path to the dungeon I would save it for the next time reset and go do other things until then like all the side quests and collect heart pieces. I think once I went in a dungeon and got far enough to get the new item and left to explore with it the next two days.

Majora's Mask was designed to be completed one year after the release of OoT.  Also, Majora's Mask DID sell less because of the time it came out.  It came out the same day as the PS2.  At that point the N64 was on life support.  It got stirling reviews, and had a lot of positive press.

I don't have problems with mine either, especially ever since I started applying ceramic grease to them to ensure that they never wear out. Though I'd be willing to bet that even though your analogue sticks still function fine, they are a little loose and not as tight or responsive as when they were new.

The fact of the matter is, for many people the analogue sticks did wear out, proof that they were not made with the best quality material. Not only that, it became a known problem within the first two years, if not sooner. Therefore, Nintendo at least should have redesigned the controller's analogue stick to one similar to the GameCube controller. And yes, it would have been possible as there's a controller called the Hori Pad Mini which has such an analuge stick.

That was certainly the case. I remember Mario Party being the worst in that regard and I believe Paper Mario had some of those aspects too. I used to dread playing some games in fear of the number it would do on the joystick.

I had sores on the palms of my hands from the controller turning games. I remember Nintendo had to issue warnings telling people to not do it that way but I never stopped doing it that way because it was fastest.

Maybe Majora's Mask sold less than Ocarina of Time because it required the Expansion Pak, which was not included with the game (as it was with DK64).

Majora still sold several million copies world wide. Close to 3.5 million if I recall correctly. That's still a good turn out.

Really? I thought it did come with it. Oh well.

I have a question. How do I get in touch with you guys to be part of the listener mail? I think you guys should talk about the 20th aniversary of the Gameboy.I think you should talk about it on April 21st.

There were probably numerous reasons why Majora's Mask didn't sell as well as most other Zelda games. The three main ones are that it was released late in the Nintendo 64's market life, it required an additional accessory that was sold separately, and it had a darker tone than your typical Zelda game. Its review scores were pretty low for a Zelda game too.

Nintendo even offered special gloves to people who owned Mario Party for that very reason. It's funny how they were willing to offer something obscure like that but never an analogue stick fix/replacement.

If either of you still play Nintendo 64 games, I highly recommend getting some ceramic grease to apply to the analogue sticks. If you use it once a year, it will practically guarantee they will never wear out. You can play any game without fear.

Or get a Hori Pad Mini, it's perfect for games like Mario Party.

AFAIK, you just sent them a regular e-mail. They don't update the Mailbag anymore, so I assume they just answer them in the podcast instead (instead of doing both).

So Greg and TYP what do you think of the idea?

My gamecube controllers are shot at this point. The grip is coming off of the two that actually work, and on both of those the DI is off by a bit, for instance, I was trying to play pikmin the other day and the down direction was unresponsive. I really want new GC controllers :(

I agree with Maxi. The RFN that comes up closest to April 21 should feature a discussion on the Game Boy. Maybe the the GB family, but even just the original would be good. You could talk about you first experience with it, your favorite games, stuff like the Game Boy Camera/Printer, etc. Maybe even what you think of the future of the Game Boy line and if/when you think Nintendo will create a new one.

April 18th is the 15th anniversary of Super Metroid, and we'll be doing a special episode to (roughly) coincide with that. Unfortunately, this doesn't leave a timely opportunity to do an episode focusing on the Game Boy anniversary on the 21st, but given Gunpei Yokoi's connection to both Metroid and the Game Boy  (and of course Metroid's portable legacy starting with Metroid II) I'm sure the Game Boy's 20th will come up.

Well thank you for your consideration. Maybe you guys can do an article about GB 20th.A retrospective look at the system.

Majora's Mask is the first video game I ever pre-ordered.

Wow, you didn't even preorder OOT with the gold cart? I think the first game I preordered was Mario 64 along with the N64.

I didn't have an N64 when OOT came out.  I got mine in late 1999.

Ah that makes sense. I think I preordered Majora's Mask as well.

That said, OOT was one of the first games that I got with my N64, and I was blown away by it.

Just because you didn't own a Nintendo 64 doesn't mean you couldn't have pre-ordered Ocarina of Time. You could stare at its marvelous gold finish until you receive the system to play it on.

I was kind of out of gaming from maybe 93 to 98ish.  I had a used Saturn in 97 and that tided me over until 99.  I didn't even get an SNES until around 96.

Since I was young and had hardly no money, I actually was thinking of getting an N64 by itself and just staring it thinking that would hold my attention until I get SM64. Yeah I was a dumb head then.

So it was just your head that was dumb and not the rest of your body? ;)

I wish I still had the holo boxes from the N64 Zeldas. I used to keep them all but when we moved my parents convinced me to toss most of them and over time I gave up more and more of them. I might have saved those ones but I haven't found them in years so I'm assuming I did give them up. At least I still have the gold carts.

Hey Maxi, I'm glad you're taking an interest.  We mention the email address on the show quite often, but I avoid posting it on the site in an effort to mitigate spam.  However, an alternate method is to use the contact form on the website (try sending an email to anyone) and use the drop-down list to select RFN or the Mailbag -- either one will go to us.  I'm not sure if it says so on the mailbag page now, but we have taken over all mailbag questions since that feature isn't currently active on the website.

As Greg said, we already have plans for the podcast closest to April 20th, but it makes sense to at least mention the Game Boy's anniversary on the Super Metroid show.  I can't say much about it personally, as I never owned a handheld system until GB Color, but hopefully the other guys have a little more history with the system.

A GB retrospective would be cool, particularly a discussion of why it fared so much better than the other contemporary handhelds (battery life, anyone?).
Also, for whatever reason I held my iPhone upside-down today and realized that if you keep the word order the same but reverse the order of letters in "Fun Park", you get...never mind.

Tetris.

Well I don't really get that much time to listen to the podcasts.Sometimes I like them sometimes I don't.Just sent off the e-mail to RFN.

Insta ban!

I like the podcasts mainly because it sounds like a friendly conversation among friends. Some podcasts I listen to have the people basically shouting and making it less pleasant to listen to.

I do consider these guys to be my friends, even though I've never met James or Greg in person.  But I will get to hang out with James at E3 this year.

Jonny is my friend even though he never plays 360 games with me. :P

Hey guys, is there going to be another podcast this week what with Easter and all?

Episode 141 will go up on Sunday as normal.

When was it recorded? I am curious to know whether my e-mail could be answered this week or if it would be in the next mailbag (if it gets answered at all) since I really would like to know the answers to my questions.

They recorded the cast on Wednesday this week. Jonny said so earlier in this thread. That's a day earlier than they normally do it.

Guess it won't be in this weeks podcast, I sent my e-mail on Thursday.

You might have to wait two weeks since next weeks episode is their Super Metroid 'cast.

Jonny and Greg are definitely friends of mine.  As for James, I'm not sure if he actually has "friends".  He just has some people that he doesn't hate as much as others.  It's all good though.

I'm friends of Boom Blox Cover Art.

STOP THE TRAVESTY NOW!

It's funny, I thought you would have liked the new box art better than the last one but here is enough hate to create a whole new rant. You guys should really make 'The Rant' a permanent and more frequent feature of the 'cast.

Quite a while back now we had the idea for a "James' Crazy Rant" bit where listeners would send in their choice of topics for James to rant about, but sadly when we put out the call for suggestions we didn't receive any from the listeners. So even now if we got some good ones we could look at the idea again--if there's an injustice in the gaming world that your text alone simply cannot do justice, let James be the sonic conduit for your rage! 

I don't mean half the things I don't say.

It seems like many of James' old foes lay dormant.  I kinda feel like James has been in a prolonged funk, as well; even throwing a constant stream of garbage games at him doesn't get the rise out of him that it used to.  Lord knows I try, though.

There is a lack of extreme garbage at my doorstep.  Bad games are harder to get upset at than pure garbage.