phungus's Full Review: Nintendo N64 Expansion Pack for Nintendo 64
I am one of those people who likes to get the most out of their games. When I'm given the option, I max out the sound quality and all the video options. I want the game to look, sound, and play as best as it can possibly do.
For years, I have been an avid computer gamer. However, my last few computer game purchases have resulted in feeling like I wasted my money due to bugs in the game or just the fact that the game stank. My brother left for college this past august and he decided to leave his Nintendo 64 with me because he was taking his Dreamcast and Playstation with him and just didn't need 3 consoles up there. I took it over with interest.
My biggest hang up with most console systems is that they just don't compare to some high end computer games. I don't care what you say, but there is no 3D console game that compares to the fluidness of Unreal Tournament or Quake III. Because of this, every time I play a N64 game, I feel like I'm taking a step down technology-wise.
The Nintendo 64 Expansion Pack adds 4 extra megs of memory to the system. For computer folks, 4 extra megs wouldn't hardly make a difference, mostly because of the inefficiency of Wintel-based machines, but I won't get into that. This extra memory increase some games resolution, artificial intelligence, and other options. For the most part, it is there to make the game look better.
I only own 6 Nintendo 64 games - Mario 64, Zelda, Goldeneye, Turok 2, Shadow Man, and Extreme G - XG2. The latter 3 support the expansion pack. Of these games, the most noticable difference the expansion pack made was on Shadow Man. It allowed me to turn up the resolution and the game actually surprised me. It looked GREAT! It looked like a computer game on a Voodoo graphics card.
This new expansion pack is actually becoming a requirement to fully play some titles. I know that Donkey Kong 64 requires it, and Perfect Dark needs it to be able to play the entire game. As time goes on, probably most newer, more complex titles, will either require or at least make use of this card.
Bottom line is this: It only costs around 30 bucks. Don't expect to drop it in and be blown away instantly. It increases the game's performance in many ways that you may not notice off the bat. Before running out to buy one, check to see if the games you own even support it's use. If they don't, then you simply don't need one yet.
Here is a complete list of all the Nintendo 64 games that can benefit from the enhancements provided by this expansion pack:
40 Winks All-star Baseball 2001 Armorines: Project S.W.A.R.M. Army Men Sarge's Heroes Battlezone: Rise Of The Black Dogs Castlevania Legacy of Darkness Command & Conquer Cruis'n World Daikatana Duke Nukem Zero Hour Extreme G2 Excitebike 64 F1 World Grand Prix 2 Gauntlet Legends Hot Wheels Hybrid Heaven Hydro Thunder Indiana Jones and the Infernal Machine International Track and Field 2000 Jeremy McGrath's Supercross 2000 Jet Force Gemini Ken Griffey Jr.'s Slugfest Madden NFL '99 Madden NFL 2000 Mario Golf NBA Courtside 2 NBA Jam 2000 New Tetris, The NFL Quarterback Club 99 NFL Quarterback Club 2000 Nuclear Strike 64 Quake 2 Rayman 2 Re-volt Resident Evil 2 Roadsters San Francisco Rush 2049 Shadowman South Park South Park Rally Star Craft 64 Star Wars Episode 1 Battle for Naboo Star Wars Episode 1 Racer Star Wars Rouge Squadron The World is not Enough Tony Hawk's Skateboarding Tony Hawks 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 Xena Warrior princess
The following Nintendo 64 games require the expansion pack to play:
Donkey Kong 64 The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask Perfect Dark Tony Hawks Pro Skater 2
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