How much better does Saturn Cotton 2 look with a RAM cart??

dave4shmups · Post by **dave4shmups** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 6:32 pm

Just curious, as I'd like to eventually pick this game up for my Saturn collection, and I've read that a RAM cart does enhance the graphics of this game.

How does Cotton 2 look without the RAM, though?

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 7:39 pm

Without the RAM Cotton 2, imho, looks great: the backgrounds and effects are very rich and colorful, they lend a nice sense of atmosphere to the whole "fantasy" theme. I haven't played or otherwise seen it with the RAM cart so I really can't make comparisons, but on its own I'd say it's still a very nice-looking game...I might even put it a notch over Boomerang.

dave4shmups · Post by **dave4shmups** » Sat Mar 05, 2005 9:10 pm

Cool, thanks for that info!

professor ganson · Post by **professor ganson** » Sun Mar 06, 2005 6:21 am

I'll have to go back and look at Cotton 2 again, after BulletMagnet's remarks. My memory is that the game (I've only played it without the RAM cart) looked somewhat average, not as colorful or as crisp as I had hoped.

raiden · Post by **raiden** » Sun Mar 06, 2005 5:17 pm

I used to play the game with or without cartridge, and it didn´t make much of a difference, really. The only difference I can remember is a slight one in animation quality of a few endbosses. It was so little that I didn´t care to insert the RAM cartridge just for Cotton 2, I´d play it with cartridge only if it was inserted for other games that need it already.

zinger · Post by **zinger** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 12:55 pm

I didn't notice any difference when I tried the game without the cartridge, but I didn't play through the whole game. It runs in 2 MB RAM mode btw...

Post by **Shatterhand** » Mon Mar 07, 2005 4:48 pm

Now, I remember someone saying that it enhanced the SOUND more than the GFX, as it adds some sounde effects to it.

I have never played Cotton 2, but Cotton Boomerang is really beatiful to watch. It's colorful, and very well drawn.

zinger · Post by **zinger** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 9:28 am

I've only seen a short movie clip of the first level of Boomerang. It looks quite a bit as the first level in Cotton 2, and the music was identical as far as I could tell. What about the rest of the game, is it more of a "remix" than an actual seuqel?

Post by **BulletMagnet** » Wed Mar 09, 2005 8:32 pm

In a sense it is, but I personally found them different enough to buy both: Boomerang has the same basic levels (y'know, an ocean level, a cave level, a castle level, etc.) as Cotton 2 does, but since the game's a lot more manic they're more open, and some of the graphics and enemy layouts have been changed as a result too. Gameplay-wise there are more differences, most notably the "team" aspect of the game, along with a bunch of other things...I listed most of them on a topic some time back, I wonder if it's still on the board someplace.

EOJ · Post by **EOJ** » Fri Mar 11, 2005 7:17 pm

The RAM catridge just adds additional "voice" to the game (it states this in Japanese on the back of the game case). I haven't noticed any graphical differences between playing with or without the cart. The load times might be a hair quicker with the cart as well, but that might just be my imagination...