N64 Expansion Pack - 4MB Expansion Review
By: Zorlon
This is to replace the Jumper Pak stored in the slot between the POWER and RESET on the Control deck.
Ok so it's not much to look at and does not even sound that great at first, but what it actually does is expand the internal 4MB ram to 8MB.
Thus allowing 3 extra games to be fully functional:-
- Donkey Kong 64
- Perfect Dark
- Legend of Zelda - The Majora's Mask
Still not convinced? Well this also allows enhancements for the following games, from higher graphics modes/higher frame rate to extra game contents, such as levels, game play modes etc. that require the extra ram to be usable:
- 007: The World is Not Enough
- Aidyn Chronicles: The First Mage
- All Star Baseball 2000
- All Star Baseball 2001
- Armorines: Project S.W.A.R.M.
- Army Men: Air Combat
- Army Men: Sage's Heros
- Army Men: Sage's Heros 2
- Battle Zone: Rise of the Black Dogs
- Castlevania: Legacy of Darkness
- Command and Conquer
- CyberTiger
- Donald Duck: Goin' Quackers
- Duke Nukem: Zero Hour
- Excitebike 64
- F-1 World Grand Prix II
- FIFA 99*
- Gauntlet Legends
- Hybrid Heaven
- Hydro Thunder
- Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine
- Indy Racing 2000
- International Superstar Soccer 2000
- International Track & Field 2000
- Jeremy McGrath Supercross 2000
- John Romero's Daikatana
- Ken Griffey Jr.'s Slugfest
- Madden NFL 2000
- Madden NFL 2001
- Madden NFL 2002
- Namco Museum 64
- NBA Jam 2000**
- NFL Blitz 2001
- NFL Blitz Special Edition
- NFL Quarterback Club '99
- NFL Quarterback Club 2000
- NFL Quarterback Club 2001
- Nuclear Strike 64
- Pokémon Stadium 2*
- Premier Manager 64
- Quake II
- Rat Attack
- Rayman 2
- Re-Volt
- Resident Evil 2
- Road Rash 64
- Roadsters
- San Francisco Rush 2049
- Shadowgate 64: Trials of the Four Towers*
- Shadow Man
- Spider-Man
- South Park
- StarCraft 64
- Star Wars: Episode I: Battle for Naboo
- Star Wars: Episode I: Racer
- Star Wars: Rogue Squadron
- Stunt Racer 64
- Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six
- Tony Hawk's Pro Skater
- Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2
- Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3
- Top Gear Hyper-Bike
- Top Gear Overdrive
- Top Gear Rally 2
- Turok 2: Seeds of Evil
- Turok 3: Shadow of Oblivion
- Turok: Rage Wars
- Vigilante 8
- Vigilante 8 2nd Offence
- Xena Warrior Princess: The Talisman of Fate
* Nothing indicated this on the box, but supported
** Only shows the Expansion icon on PAL box, but both versions do support this
Overall this ugly little add on adds a lot more than it looks like it could and is worth while for most N64 users as it covers a large chunk of games, also there are tons of 3rd party versions around but even the official version pre owned goes for a small price tag now though.
Please note I have not included any Japanese exclusive games in the above
Here are a couple of examples of the enhancements
- Madden NFL 2000 - Higher resolution, faster frame rate and longer instant replay's.
- San Francisco Rush 2049 - Exclusive race track #6, Additional “Ghost” race options, Enhanced audio in Race Mode.
- StarCraft 64 - Enable Brood Wars Levels and 2 Player mode
- Stunt Racer 64 - 3 to 4 players requires Expansion
- Most games just use this for higher resolution and or frame rate improvements
Here is a direct comparison using Star Wars Episode 1: Racers, the first being with just the Jumper Pak, and the second being with the Expansion Pak.
Purchase Information
You can buy the N64 Expansion Pack at Amazon. It's currently listed at $27.89.