Kingdom Hearts - Re-Coded (U) ROM

While not as good as the recent Kingdom Hearts releases 358/2 Days and Birth by Sleep, I was more satisfied playing this game then I was when playing Chain of Memories.

I was honestly surprised with this game. Being a port of a cell phone game in Japan, I didn't really imagine they would be able to do much with it. I mean look at the Chain of Memories and Re: Chain of Memories. Sure RE has upgraded graphics, but that doesn't save it from the fact that it's the same game, just prettier; Coded wouldn't be any different right?
Wrong. This game is nothing like the puzzle game that was the original Coded. Rather, it's an amalgamation of Birth by Sleep, 358/2, and the console games...at least during the time spent in the standard worlds and during the debugging stages. Things start to get interesting pretty quick though, as the only stage that uses only standard KH gameplay is the first world you visit. After that you'll find yourself thrust int a run and gun segment similar to Space Harrier, a side-scrolling dash to a boss, a level that requires you to command team mates psuedo-RTS style, and (my personal favorite) a whole world that switches the game into a turn-based JRPG that is startlingly similar to Super Mario RPG. 
Now if that sounds like a lot to be going on in one game, it is. And if you said something had to be sacrificed to pull something like this off in a DS game, you'd be right again. Almost every level in the game has you working toward the goal of completely "debugging" the world you're in. To successfully do this, Sora enters System Sectors which upon being completely debugged, will in turn completely debug the worlds they're located in.
Unfortunately, this is where the game falters. These sectors are almost completely devoid of any variety whatsoever. They're comprised of blue or red colored blocks cubes that make the landscape and a background of the same color. I understand why it had to be done; the other "main" worlds are simply amazing, looking almost as good as their PS2 originals. Fortunately, as bland as the system sectors are, they're still kept relatively interesting by implementing a wagering system that offers different challanges for each level of a system sector. By killing enemies or destroying blocks, you earn "SP", a currency that can be used to purchase power-ups items, or commands at the end of the system sector. However, gaining SP simply by being a wrecking ball isn't exactly a smart idea since anything destroyed drops a minimal amount of the stuff. You'll be making the bulk of your SP through a wagering system that offers a challenge for each floor of a system sector. The challenges range from completely debugging a floor taking damage only so many times, without missing with attacks so many times, without using specific commands, etc. By betting 10, 30, or 50% of your accumulated SP, you can boost your wallet pretty quickly. These challenges generally encourage play that shies away from the facerolling attack masher that the console games became (in)famous for, and the closer to the end of the game you get, the harder these challenges become to successfully complete. 
Story here is largely unchanged from the original Coded however there are new cutscenes, and a new secret ending which reveal a little bit about future games in the series. 
Re: Coded recieved very mixed reviews from mainstream sources, but honestly, I think if you liked 358/2 you'll like this installment. Just turn off auto-jump! Why anyone would want Sora to jump (yes jump, not fall or hop) every time he walks too close to a platforms edge is beyond me, and all it did for me is lead me to some embarassing and infuriating deaths.

A good game. Not as good as other Kingdom Hearts titles, but has its merits.

I enjoyed playing this game because of the great variety of gameplay: in one moment you're playing Action-RPG, in other a Turn-based RPG, in another one you're playing a side-scrolling platform.

If you're a fan of the series, you must play it. If you aren't, you might have fun as well.

Wow, this has got to be one of the most exciting DS games that I have experienced! Kingdom Hearts: Re-coded lets you experience and answer some of the questions you may have had after playing Kingdom Hearts II. This game has so many new features and characters available, this is not a game I would want to miss!

Amazing game to say the least. It's better in many different ways than 358/2 Days, although not as good as Birth By Sleep. 4/5 rating for it, only having one issue: tha camera! You have to keep pressing the R button over an over again and on an emulator it can get annoying. Good story, good visuals, not-too-bad controls and an annoying camera. It' definitely worth playing!