kyle Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 (edited) What's this Edited February 7, 2015 by kyle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 What's this image.jpg Expansion pack. It upgrades the N64 RAM from 4Mb to 8Mb. You'll need it to play DK64, Majora's Mask, and a few other games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariBrian Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Rogue Squadron I think uses it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 (edited) Pretty sure DK64 and Majora's Mask are the only two that NEED it, however MANY other games play "better" with. Whether it be higher resolution textures, higher overall screen resolution, added sound/music... and some games needed it for multi-player I believe. *Edit I find it funny that Nintendo releases this "upgrade" to the N64 in 1999, the same year Sega's Dreamcast hit North American shores. Compare DK64 to ANY Dreamcast game... how did that poor system fail... don't answer that, I don't wanna derail this thread, or have my heart broken anymore Edited February 7, 2015 by Torr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 (edited) Pretty sure DK64 and Majora's Mask are the only two that NEED it, however MANY other games play "better" with. Whether it be higher resolution textures, higher overall screen resolution, added sound/music... and some games needed it for multi-player I believe. *Edit I find it funny that Nintendo releases this "upgrade" to the N64 in 1999, the same year Sega's Dreamcast hit North American shores. Compare DK64 to ANY Dreamcast game... how did that poor system fail... don't answer that, I don't wanna derail this thread, or have my heart broken anymore DK64 had some of the best looking graphics of any N64 game. When I fought the first boss and the ground had wave-like ripples, I swore the graphics were just shy of Game Cube. Of course that was before I actually got a Game Cube. Mario Sunshine or Paper Mario: TTYD would put their N64 counterparts to shame in the graphics department. And yes, numerous games supported the Expansion pack for improved performance or even supported extra content with it, much like Smash Bros and Majora's Mask 3DS will play/run better on a "New" 3DS. You''l know when you boot one of these as it will display a splash screen with "Expansion Pak detected". Either way, you can't go wrong with an expansion pak. Just make sure it's a 1st party one. The Yobo paks are prone to errors. EDIT: See here for more info about Expansion Pak support. You'll need it for DK64, Majora's Mask, and perfect Dark, but lots of other games support it. http://nintendo.wikia.com/wiki/Nintendo_64_Expansion_Pak Edited February 7, 2015 by stardust4ever Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Algus Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Some games like Rogue Squadron get graphics upgrades if the expansion pack is in there. Other games like Perfect Dark need it for access to all the modes. The list of games is small so you might not think it was a major accessory but at the time it came out the biggest titles on the system were using it so everyone had one. Perfect Dark was unbelievably huge back then. I kinda miss those days...it was the last FPS I really loved. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ovalbugmann Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Yes, several N64 games make use of the RAM expansion pak. You'll get better textures/graphics. Just getting into the N64 myself too, I've wanted one for a long time, its the most advanced cartridge based system ever made. I thought, well I only live once Imma gonna go for it! lol. The N64 looks terrible on my lcd hdtv tho. Unfortunately, the N64 doesn't support RGB video out, so I'm left with composite and S-video, but I wanted rgb - looked into doing the mod but the easy one requires console serials NS000xxxxxx -to- NS186xxxxxx to do it and thier hard to find and the any old N64 rgb console mod is a lot more involved requiring fine pitch soldering skill basically, so I just bought an pre- rgb modded one from this one cool site I found and their on ebay too. Next a Super Nintendo RGB Scart video connector was bought(Super Nintendo has the same video port as the N64) and the scart connector plugs into a scart to component converter, then to the tv, but something like a scart switcher is need to take out the audio first. Hopefully I can an Micomsoft xrgb-mini device its one of the best upscalers available for old 240p consoles, people rave about it. Also, the N64 controller is weird, I didn't even know how to hold it, lol - so I bought the sharkpad one with the d-pad and thumbpad to one side and buttons on the other side. N64 thumb sticks are known to wear out too, and will flop to one side, plug in replacements are available for less than $5 tho. -they fixed this with the gamecube controller thumbstick design. Make sure the stick is straight when starting the N64 or controls will be off. Finally and coolest is I ordered a 64Drive for the N64, hasn't got here yet tho, and the Everdrive 64 vers.3 is very cool as well! - they are N64 flashdrives with sdcard ports, if you wanted to you could put all 380 or so N64 games on one 32gb card. I'm not even considering the older Neo-Myth N64 flash cart as its not nearly as advanced as the two I just mentioned. Enjoy your N64 gaming! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyle Posted February 7, 2015 Author Share Posted February 7, 2015 Thanks guys! Boy does N64 look bad on my LED/LCD TV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AtariBrian Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Thanks guys! Boy does N64 look bad on my LED/LCD TV Use an s-video cord instead of composite for a bit of an improved visual . Yurkie does sell rgb modded N64's . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Torr Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Thanks guys! Boy does N64 look bad on my LED/LCD TV It looks bad on ANY TV I've always said N64 looks like someone smeared vaseline all over my TV screen. I guess they were trying to smooth/alias out jaggys, but it just makes everything looks so foggy and blurry, I really don't like it. Maybe all this with this interest in N64 I can finally get rid of my N64 stuff! http://atariage.com/forums/topic/195630-any-nintendo-collectors-here-updated-with-pics-and-prices/?hl=%2Bnintendo+%2B64 Some of it HAS been sold already. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhomaios Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 It looks bad on ANY TV I've always said N64 looks like someone smeared vaseline all over my TV screen. I guess they were trying to smooth/alias out jaggys, but it just makes everything looks so foggy and blurry, I really don't like it. Maybe all this with this interest in N64 I can finally get rid of my N64 stuff! http://atariage.com/forums/topic/195630-any-nintendo-collectors-here-updated-with-pics-and-prices/?hl=%2Bnintendo+%2B64 Some of it HAS been sold already. None of the 3D stuff looked good until the Dreamcast. My favorite games from that gen were all 2D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Leach Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 (edited) thats the piece that says, dont bother with owning an n64..there are only like 264 games or something like that and the graphics are all crappy and stuff (south park the movie). Buy yourself an atari 7800 and a classic nes and relive the days of the better games! maybe a super nintendo with a flash cart from stoneagegamer! thats all you need! I forgot to add....**in my opinion** Edited February 7, 2015 by Chris Leach 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+remowilliams Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 Hopefully I can an Micomsoft xrgb-mini device its one of the best upscalers available for old 240p consoles, people rave about it. The XRGB mini is a truly amazing device. The N64 looks really horrid with direct composite/svid on an LCD, but it looks decent enough in RGB through the XRGB with scanlines. At least as good as the way it looked 'back then' with CRTs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+GoldenWheels Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 N64 has awful graphics for the most part and a terribly shallow library. And I still played it 5x more than my Playstation at the time (50x more if you don't count SOTN). Four controller ports+Mario Parties AND the AKI wrestling games=great f'ing times. Some good solo games to be sure but to me, the N64 is a mulitplayer party machine par excellence, when multiplayer meant sitting on the same couch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kyle Posted February 7, 2015 Author Share Posted February 7, 2015 Use an s-video cord instead of composite for a bit of an improved visual . Yurkie does sell rgb modded N64's . Hooked up to a CRT much better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+LS650 Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 I'm not a fan of Nintendo, but I think the N64 has some good games. It excelled at racing and shooter games. What is perhaps my favorite racing game, Beetle Racing Adventure, only came out on this platform. A couple of other factors in the N64's favor is that they are common and built as solid as a tank, so you can pick one up in good working order for fairly cheap. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+remowilliams Posted February 7, 2015 Share Posted February 7, 2015 It's probably worth it just for Sin and Punishment alone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Video Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 64 had some good looking games, but a lot did look like ass. Most of that is due to antialising built in, though with a gameshark, you can take that off on a lot of games (though sometimes it looks worse. DK 64 alone is worth the expansion pack (IMO) since you already got it, find that game. It's an action platformer and actually quiet good (and looks decent for 64) From that generation, 64 was my favorite by FAR, it's just to bad the controllers went to crap quickly....well, actually I can keep a new one running for years, but people want to play with it, and to be honest, I got to where I don't let them because they can play it a week and ruin the stick. I'd still play the crap out of that game if you could still get controllers for it, I'm not super picky, even a better third party would do fine. Someone mentioned the stick can be replaced? If I can find a NON ebay outlet for them, I might look those up, when people bring controllers in, they are always ruined, I assumed they were essentially trash and sold them on ebay as parts controllers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andromeda Stardust Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 64 had some good looking games, but a lot did look like ass. Most of that is due to antialising built in, though with a gameshark, you can take that off on a lot of games (though sometimes it looks worse. DK 64 alone is worth the expansion pack (IMO) since you already got it, find that game. It's an action platformer and actually quiet good (and looks decent for 64) From that generation, 64 was my favorite by FAR, it's just to bad the controllers went to crap quickly....well, actually I can keep a new one running for years, but people want to play with it, and to be honest, I got to where I don't let them because they can play it a week and ruin the stick. I'd still play the crap out of that game if you could still get controllers for it, I'm not super picky, even a better third party would do fine. Someone mentioned the stick can be replaced? If I can find a NON ebay outlet for them, I might look those up, when people bring controllers in, they are always ruined, I assumed they were essentially trash and sold them on ebay as parts controllers. Fortunately there seems to be an endless supply of new 3rd party N64 controllers. My local Game-X-Change has tons of new stock Yobo controllers. I accepted 3rd party controllers as necessary back in the mid-2000s when I got into N64 collecting. Most used 1st party N64 controllers I've seen recently have completely roached out sticks, as in the stick is laying sideways and flops around on it's own when I wiggle the controller. When it gets to that point, it's essentially useless as a controller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Dangerous Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Thanks guys! Boy does N64 look bad on my LED/LCD TV Thats just what N64 looks like Probably one of my top three favorite consoles, need to send my gold N64 to Yurk for an RGB mod asap.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+GoldenWheels Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 I've never understood the issue with the n64 sticks....we played countless games of original Mario Party where the objective of many games was to simply spin the stick as fast as possible. Of course everyone did the "palm method" which meant you were absolutely beating the shit out of the stick. We ground some lines in the bases of our sticks (after certain games you might have to actually blow the plastic dust out) but I never ever had a stick just flop over and die on me, which is of course how most look now in pawn shops, etc. I always felt we were super rough on these things and only toasted one stick over 100s of Mario Party games with 4 players over almost 10 years (and it was because the plastic dust got UNDER the stick, the stick itself still stood up fine). WTF were people DOING to these things that they are all so toasty? I never considered them weak, but damn they must be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Dangerous Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 I've never understood the issue with the n64 sticks....we played countless games of original Mario Party where the objective of many games was to simply spin the stick as fast as possible. Of course everyone did the "palm method" which meant you were absolutely beating the shit out of the stick. We ground some lines in the bases of our sticks (after certain games you might have to actually blow the plastic dust out) but I never ever had a stick just flop over and die on me, which is of course how most look now in pawn shops, etc. I always felt we were super rough on these things and only toasted one stick over 100s of Mario Party games with 4 players over almost 10 years (and it was because the plastic dust got UNDER the stick, the stick itself still stood up fine). WTF were people DOING to these things that they are all so toasty? I never considered them weak, but damn they must be. They sell really good replacements on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Redesigned-REPLACEMENT-Joystick-Controller-Thumbstick/dp/B009MRZAUC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423597871&sr=8-1&keywords=n64+new+style+joystick Replaced ALL my N64 sticks with these and haven't looked back. These are gamecube style, and should last a long time even with mario party usage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+GoldenWheels Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 They sell really good replacements on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Redesigned-REPLACEMENT-Joystick-Controller-Thumbstick/dp/B009MRZAUC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1423597871&sr=8-1&keywords=n64+new+style+joystick Replaced ALL my N64 sticks with these and haven't looked back. These are gamecube style, and should last a long time even with mario party usage. Well that's what I don't get Travis....I've only really needed a replacement once in 10 years of near constant gameplay(The worn-in line does nothing to normal gameplay, it's just cosmetic on the stick's base) and I'm still on my original sticks. I believe everyone, I've seen these things everywhere looking all sad and flopped over. I just always felt like we CRUSHED On these things (the AKI wrestling games are not easy on controllers either) but have never had any real issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Dangerous Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 Well that's what I don't get Travis....I've only really needed a replacement once in 10 years of near constant gameplay(The worn-in line does nothing to normal gameplay, it's just cosmetic on the stick's base) and I'm still on my original sticks. I believe everyone, I've seen these things everywhere looking all sad and flopped over. I just always felt like we CRUSHED On these things (the AKI wrestling games are not easy on controllers either) but have never had any real issues. I've never seen an original N64 joystick stop working, they just get loose and the "feel" is off for some people. I seem to recall kids I went to school with fighting over who got the newest controller for multiplayer 007 matches. This new style rotates on a big pivot ball (Like the gamecube joysticks) and not a small one, thus avoiding the chronic design flaw inherent in that design (its wears out and performs not as it did when new) I don't think there is anything wrong with the original design, I just think the precision degrades after heavy use. I really like this upgrade and my N64 controller feels exactly the same over a year after install. I recommend them for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+GoldenWheels Posted February 10, 2015 Share Posted February 10, 2015 I've never seen an original N64 joystick stop working, they just get loose and the "feel" is off for some people. I seem to recall kids I went to school with fighting over who got the newest controller for multiplayer 007 matches. This new style rotates on a big pivot ball (Like the gamecube joysticks) and not a small one, thus avoiding the chronic design flaw inherent in that design (its wears out and performs not as it did when new) I don't think there is anything wrong with the original design, I just think the precision degrades after heavy use. I really like this upgrade and my N64 controller feels exactly the same over a year after install. I recommend them for sure. Maybe this is it....my most heaviest played games don't actually require a ton of precision so maybe I'm not noticing it is gone. Like, I'm not sniping cameras in GoldenEye much any more....I play the AKI wrestling games (only use for stick is to waggle for a special, no precision at all) and Mario Party 3. Maybe mine would feel off if it mattered. I might pick up a spare stick just to have it--I have some 3rd party Yobo controllers still packed up for back ups and they work, but I don't really like them. The ones I see in the wild are, almost always, total toast. Literally, you can tilt the controller and the stick is totally loose, it just flops back and forth. Sad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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