Should I get the N64 Expansion pack?

[Schenley]

I bought my N64 for $15 at EB, plus a handfull of games. I _almost_ got DonkeyKong64 until the guy told me that it needed the expansion pack, which was like $25.

Are they worth paying that much? I see some 3rd party expansion packs on EBAY for around $14, are they good enough?

How many games use it? Which ones really use it?

TIA...[/i]

[aaron_157]

Get the nintendo brand pak, not 3rd party trust me they are worth.

[Oobgarm]

It's required for Donkey Kong 64, Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, and Perfect Dark. It ups the resolution of later N64 games that support it. I've never heard of a problem with 3rd party ones. Definitely go the Ebay route. $25 is too much for them.

[sisko]

Yes, you should get one, but you shouldn't spend $25 on one.

I haven't heard of any problems with the 3rd party packs either, but cosmetically, they're fugly. The ones I have seen replace both the jumper pack AND the cover, so you have a nasty red or blue thing sticking out of your unit.

The nintendo one slides in, and still looks like your typical N64.

[Ed Oscuro]

You even get a nifty little plastic tool thingy to pry the jumper pack out with (assuming, that is, you're dumb enough to do that, or somehow run into a game that requires the original jumper pack...which...will never happen). Still, more stuff with the N64 logo on it = Win

[Mr. Smashy]

I waited until my EB Games had one with the expansion pack already in it. They didn't charge me any more than what they would have for a system that didn't have it.

[Gamereviewgod]

or somehow run into a game that requires the original jumper pack...which...will never happen

Wrong! Actually, Space Station Silicon Valley won't run with the pack. It locks up and crashes....or so I've read many times.

[tholly]

I personally don't buy third party unless I can't help it. I would throw down the extra money that you would spend on shipping charges on eBay and just get the Nintendo Brand jumper.

[Ed Oscuro]

or somehow run into a game that requires the original jumper pack...which...will never happen

Wrong! Actually, Space Station Silicon Valley won't run with the pack. It locks up and crashes....or so I've read many times.

Haha, that rings a bell now. Well, I guess I didn't leave myself enough of a loophole, did I? :X

[Schenley]

Thanks guys!!

I got no problem with paying a little more for Nintendo brand...

What is a jumper pack? There is something in the slot right now, with a sticker across it. What is that, a dummy pack to keep the slot covered?

[CitizenWhite]

Nah, thats just the current RAM for the system. The new pack simply has more. I've got an offbrand one, works fine. Came with a cool new cover, like air intakes for a car, to keep it cool.

[Ed Oscuro]

The Jumper Pack has no RAM in it.

[SoulBlazer]

There's several games which use the Expansion Pack also that help with game play. I bought the N64 pack with Star Wars: Rogue Squadron (the official Nintendo one).

I was thinking about starting a thread similar to this one -- why are these things so expensive? Were'nt they made in large ammounts? A friend of mine recently had her N64 broke, so I decided to get her a birthday present of a new system. I went into my local GameStop (the old Funco land) and found a nice used one for $20. When I went to pay for it I asked if they had any expansion packs and the guy said $20. I was surprised, and asked if they had any third party ones, and the guy said they were the same price. He said they just don't get many in trade. :hmm:

[Ed Oscuro]

Well, they started out at $20, and I guess they must've sold out. Maybe this will help keep the price of Majora's Mask down :D

[Schenley]

Well, they started out at $20, and I guess they must've sold out. Maybe this will help keep the price of Majora's Mask down :DI got my N64 at Electronics Botique, and they had lots of expansion packs... all at $25... Donkey Kong 64 was $18 (if I remember correctly).

$43 to play a used game! (When I only spent $15 on the N64!!!)

Hopefully, the price of these things will drop in the future...

BTW, I'm most likely going to Philly Classic 5 (www.PhillyClassic.com). I've never been to a gaming expo - should I wait until then to get it? (IE - will it be cheaper there?)

[Schenley]

BTW, CitizenWhite: Your avatar freaks me out! @_@

[kainemaxwell]

Get it, one the best N64 investments you'll make.

[Achika]

IIRC, the old Pelican ones caused the system to lock up every once in awhile.

Nintendo expansion packs debuted at $30 and are still sold as such on nintendo.com

It's been a long, long time, since I've played it, but did Starcraft 64 require the expansion in order for some levels to run?

[Ze_ro]

$43 to play a used game! (When I only spent $15 on the N64!!!)

If you're only buying it to play Donkey Kong 64, then yes... but when you add Majora's Mask and Perfect Dark into the mix (along with all the other games that have subtle enhancements), it's not such a bad deal. I think I paid $35 (CDN) for a brand new one from Toys R Us.

I've heard that some people have had problems with 3rd party expansions overheating (Heck, the official Nintendo one gets pretty hot on it's own). Anyone had this happen to them?

I've also heard that some games will use the expansion pak to run at a higher resolution, but that this causes slowdown in the game itself. I haven't noticed this in any of my games though.

And no, the jumper pak doesn't have any RAM in it... it's just a chunk of electronics that sits there to tell the system that it doesn't actually have the extra ram. You must have either an expansion pak or jumper pak in the system or the system will not operate.

And lastly, it should be pointed out that Perfect Dark doesn't explicitly require the expansion pak... but something like 85% of the game modes are inaccessible without it, so it might as well require it. Basically, you can only play a handful of deathmatch modes with an un-expanded N64.

--Zero