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Start with Perfect Dark if you want the deepest multiplayer sandbox, GoldenEye 007 if you need an immediate four-player party match, and Quake II if Halo’s science-fiction combat makes you want a faster, more aggressive game. Turok: Rage Wars, Duke Nukem: Zero Hour, and The World Is Not Enough fill useful specialist roles.
These games cannot reproduce Halo’s dual-stick controls, network matchmaking, or modern presentation. Their appeal is the same-room ritual: one console, several controllers, a divided television screen, and rules that everyone can understand quickly. The right choice depends on whether you value customization, speed, solo content, or a game built almost entirely around local competition.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Nintendo 64 Expansion Pak (Renewed) | $73.94 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Nintendo 64 Expansion Pak | $69.15 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Original OEM Expansion Pak (Pack) / Memory Card for N64 Console - 4MB RAM | $67.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Nintendo 64 Expansion Pak Plus System Bundle N64 | $169.00 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Tomee 256KB Memory Pak for Nintendo 64 – N64 Memory Card | $9.99 | Buy on Amazon |
Best N64 split-screen shooters at a glance
| Game | Multiplayer identity | Solo emphasis | Hardware and player-count notes | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Perfect Dark | Highly configurable Deathmatch, arenas, weapons, limits, characters, and Simulants | Substantial solo missions | Two-to-four-player Deathmatch; Expansion Pak required for solo missions and three-to-four-player multiplayer | The deepest Halo-like sandbox on N64 |
| GoldenEye 007 | Fast-to-start four-player party matches with more than 200 split-screen combinations | Strong solo campaign alongside multiplayer | Four players in the same room and on the same screen; no additional requirement is established here | First-time four-player gatherings |
| Quake II | Faster, more aggressive science-fiction combat than Rare’s shooters | Solo and competitive modes are both part of the game’s identity | N64 split-screen competitive play is documented, but the maximum player count is not stated consistently in the cited review; consult the cartridge manual | Players who want speed and heavier weapon impact |
| Turok: Rage Wars | Multiplayer-first arena shooting | Do not buy it primarily for a campaign | Reference summaries report up to four-player split-screen; this is lower-confidence secondary evidence | A purchase made specifically for local multiplayer |
| Duke Nukem: Zero Hour | Unusual, mature-themed combat with a different perspective from the other choices | Not the main reason to choose it here | 1999 release; four-player split-screen uses a first-person view even though the game is otherwise third-person | Groups bored by conventional military or sci-fi arenas |
| The World Is Not Enough | Reported deathmatch and objective-based multiplayer | Bond-style solo context surrounds the competitive modes | 2000 release; secondary references report up to four-player split-screen | Objective rules rather than only frag-count matches |
“Best” changes with the room. Perfect Dark wins on systems and customization, GoldenEye on immediacy, and Quake II on pace. The remaining three are worthwhile when their specific flavor matters more than broad consensus.
Perfect Dark: the deepest follow-up to GoldenEye-style multiplayer
Why it is the first recommendation
Perfect Dark is the closest N64 answer to a player asking for Halo-like variety rather than a single favorite map. Nintendo describes a traditional Deathmatch in which players can choose weapon types, arenas, time limits, frag limits, character appearance, and other details. That breadth lets a group build anything from a short elimination round to a deliberately chaotic weapons experiment.
#1 Best Overall
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- Cartridge is inserted into Nintendo 64 console; doubles original 4MB of memory, for a total of 8MB
- Allows games to have larger worlds, longer animation sequences, and much more complex gameplay.
- Increases screen resolution from 320 X 240 pixels up to 640 X 480 pixels
- Required for games like Donkey Kong 64
The game also adds computer-controlled Simulants. They are useful when fewer friends are available and give experienced groups another way to raise the pressure without changing the hardware setup. The result is a multiplayer sandbox instead of a fixed party mode.
The Expansion Pak requirement
The Nintendo 64 Expansion Pak is not optional for the complete experience: Nintendo states that it is required for the solo missions and for three- or four-player multiplayer. Without it, the game cannot deliver the modes that make it the strongest overall recommendation. Confirm that an authentic Expansion Pak is installed in the console’s memory-expansion bay before planning a four-player session.
Who should choose it after Halo
Choose Perfect Dark when your group likes setting rules, experimenting with loadouts, and replaying the same arena under different conditions. It is also the best pick when one person wants a substantial solo game while the others care about split-screen. Expect a learning period: the N64 controller and the game’s older visual presentation require more adjustment than Halo’s later control conventions.
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Why it remains the social default
Nintendo’s description is unusually direct: GoldenEye brings “four players in the same room, on the same screen” to the first-person shooter. The same Nintendo page advertises more than 200 split-screen game combinations. That combination of immediate access and extensive rule variation explains why it remains the safest recommendation for a group that wants to start playing quickly rather than study a setup menu.
Four people can pass controllers around, select a familiar arena, and begin without learning a progression system. The divided screen is part of the challenge: watching a rival’s section is tempting, but doing so gives away your own position and invites everyone else to accuse you of cheating.
Rank #2
- Cartridge is inserted into Nintendo 64 console; doubles original 4MB of memory, for a total of 8MB
- Allows games to have larger worlds, longer animation sequences, and much more complex gameplay.
- Increases screen resolution from 320 X 240 pixels up to 640 X 480 pixels
- Required for games like Donkey Kong 64
Rules that change the feel
Nintendo Life highlights variants including You Only Live Twice, Licence to Kill, and Slappers Only. These are not cosmetic labels. Limited lives, one-hit lethality, or melee-only rounds produce very different sessions and keep a group from playing every match as a standard frag contest.
The aging factor
Some design and presentation choices have aged, a limitation also noted by Nintendo Life. Movement, aiming, and the visual clarity of distant targets feel less forgiving after playing Halo. Treat that as part of the game’s character, not as evidence that every modern player will enjoy it equally. If your priority is a clean first match with friends, its low friction outweighs those rough edges; if you demand contemporary responsiveness, start with a different entry.
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Quake II: the faster science-fiction alternative
How its rhythm differs
Quake II is the pace and tone outlier. Nintendo Life describes its N64 split-screen competitive mode as materially different from GoldenEye 007 and Perfect Dark. The science-fiction setting, heavier weapons, and more aggressive tempo make it a better bridge for someone who remembers Halo’s combat energy more than its espionage atmosphere.
Do not approach it expecting Rare’s stealthy corridors or mission-style objectives to define every match. The appeal is momentum: acquire a weapon, keep moving, and punish hesitation. That makes it especially suitable for players who find GoldenEye’s movement too deliberate.
Player-count uncertainty matters
The cited Nintendo Life review uses inconsistent wording about the maximum number of N64 players. Because of that conflict, do not promise a specific count from the review alone. Check the original cartridge manual or the exact edition you own before inviting a group larger than the documented limit.
Rank #3
- EASY TO USE: Insert into the original N64 console directly and ready to go
- MAXIMUM RAM: Double original 4MB of memory inside the console, for a total of 8MB right now
- BOOSTER: Increase screen resolution from 320 X 240 pixels up to 640 X 480 pixels and enhance graphics in N64 games
- NOTE: Required for the games like Donkey Kong 64, Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask and other N64 classics
Original cartridge versus later releases
Bethesda’s modern Quake II page confirms that Quake II 64 is included in an enhanced release. Features on that modern platform should not be projected backward onto the original Nintendo 64 cartridge. If your goal is authentic split-screen, verify that you are discussing the N64 version and its own controller and mode limitations.
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Turok: Rage Wars: buy it for multiplayer first
What the evidence supports
Turok: Rage Wars is a 1999 Nintendo 64 first-person shooter described in available reference summaries as multiplayer-focused, with reports of up to four-player split-screen. That makes it a natural choice when local competition is the purchase’s primary purpose rather than an added feature.
What not to assume
The player-count description comes from lower-confidence secondary material. Treat it as a point to verify against the manual and your particular cartridge before buying. The available evidence does not establish reliable claims about balance, long-term variety, or campaign quality, so do not choose this game on the assumption that it will match Perfect Dark as a solo package.
Best use case
Choose it when your group has already exhausted the obvious Rare games and wants another arena shooter with a dinosaur-hunting identity. Confirm the multiplayer configuration first, then judge it as a focused party purchase rather than a complete Halo replacement.
Duke Nukem: Zero Hour: the perspective-changing oddity
Why it stands apart
Duke Nukem: Zero Hour is a 1999 release and a stranger choice than the other entries. It is generally presented from a third-person perspective, but its four-player split-screen mode switches to first-person view. That change makes it relevant to this list while preserving a distinct identity from conventional N64 shooters.
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Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →The tone is more mature and deliberately irreverent than the military or science-fiction alternatives. If your group wants familiar arena rules with a different personality, that contrast is the reason to select it.
Who should skip it
Do not make it the default recommendation for a group specifically seeking Halo’s polished science-fiction atmosphere. Its value is novelty and the unusual viewpoint, not close mechanical similarity. Treat the four-player mode as the reason to investigate it, and verify the manual or cartridge labeling when assembling a used copy.
The World Is Not Enough: a Bond-flavored secondary option
What it adds
The World Is Not Enough arrived on Nintendo 64 in 2000. Secondary references report split-screen multiplayer for up to four players, including both deathmatch and objective modes. The objective component is the important distinction: it can give a group something to accomplish besides accumulating frags.
Evidence and expectations
The multiplayer details are secondary reports, so verify the exact player configuration and mode list in the manual for your edition. Choose it when objective-based sessions and Bond-style presentation appeal to your group; choose GoldenEye instead when the priority is the most widely understood four-player party format.
Which game matches your Halo multiplayer habits?
You want the most customization
Pick Perfect Dark. Its weapon, arena, time, frag, character, and Simulant options let the host tune the session instead of accepting one fixed ruleset. The Expansion Pak requirement is the non-negotiable preparation step.
Best Value
- Store levels, characters, top scores and more with 256KB Memory Card
- 123 pages of memory
- Load, save, copy and delete game saves with ease
- Fully compatible with Nintendo 64 games with a save option
You need four people playing immediately
Pick GoldenEye 007. Nintendo’s documented same-room format and more than 200 combinations make it the least complicated recommendation for a first gathering. Start with a standard match, then try one of the distinctive rule variants once everyone understands the controls.
You want a faster, harder-edged shooter
Pick Quake II, but verify the N64 player limit before committing to a specific group size. Its science-fiction tone and faster competitive rhythm are intentionally unlike Rare’s slower, more methodical design.
You are buying specifically for local multiplayer
Consider Turok: Rage Wars first, then Duke Nukem: Zero Hour if the perspective switch and mature tone sound appealing. Verify the reported player counts and mode availability because the available descriptions are less authoritative than Nintendo’s documentation for the leading choices.
You prefer objectives to pure elimination
Investigate The World Is Not Enough. Its reported objective modes broaden the session beyond deathmatch, although the exact configuration should be confirmed from the cartridge manual.
Hardware and buying checklist for a real N64 session
Prepare the console
- Install a genuine N64 Expansion Pak if you are playing Perfect Dark solo or with three or four players. Nintendo explicitly identifies it as required for those modes.
- Gather one working N64 controller for each intended participant. Inspect analog sticks, buttons, and controller-port connections before the group arrives; a drifting or unresponsive stick can make an otherwise good cartridge appear defective.
- Confirm the exact game and region on the cartridge label. Do not assume that a modern re-release, compilation, or enhanced version has the same local modes as the original N64 release.
- Read the cartridge manual when a player-count claim is disputed, particularly for Quake II, Turok: Rage Wars, and The World Is Not Enough.
Buy used copies carefully
Current prices, inventory, seller quality, and reproduction-cart availability change constantly, so a single price would quickly become misleading. When shopping, ask whether the cartridge is original, whether the label and shell have been replaced, and whether the seller has tested the multiplayer mode. A reproduction should be labeled as such; it should not be presented as an authentic cartridge.
Plan the first match
- Choose GoldenEye 007 for the lowest-friction introduction, or Perfect Dark if the Expansion Pak is already installed and the group wants customization.
- Use a short time or frag limit for the opening round so nobody is trapped in a match while learning N64 controls.
- After the first game, change one variable at a time—weapon set, arena, lives, or objective—so the group can tell which rule made the session better or worse.
- Keep the manual nearby for mode and player-count questions instead of relying on inconsistent online summaries.
How much should you expect these games to feel like Halo?
They share the social idea of competitive shooting on one screen, not Halo’s exact technology. N64 split-screen reduces each player’s view, older analog controls demand more deliberate movement, and the visual presentation can make distant opponents harder to read. Perfect Dark offers the richest rules and computer opponents; GoldenEye offers the clearest party structure; Quake II supplies the strongest change of pace. The other three are targeted alternatives rather than universal substitutes.
That distinction helps set expectations: choose by the kind of evening you want to create, not by the assumption that one cartridge can reproduce a later console shooter unchanged.
Quick Recap
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