This thread has been so amazingly informative.  Thank all of you so much for that.  I know I said it before, but I honestly could not thank you all more.

ruesen :  The classic games disk actually sounds really appealing.  I know we can play those games here on vizzed, but it would be lovely to have them in portable form.

Just out of curiosity, out of reading much of your suggestions, are any of those quiz/ test games?  I'm not really a fan of games like Trivial Pursuit because I get really bored of just answering questions.  If you don't know though, I can easily look them up myself.  In any case, thanks for the awesome list!

Jordanv78 :  I hadn't even thought of the '3D' aspect, but now that you mention it, that does worry me a little.  If I stare at screens for a long time, I do get nauseous, and I can only imagine that getting worse if I was viewing distorted graphics. (And by distorted, I just mean different from the norm.)

We did read about the 'street pass' which we thought was interesting.  However, to me personally it's not that important of a feature, because I'm the type of person that usually likes to play by myself.  LOL I do think my husband would enjoy it though, and it IS a neat feature.

I know it's hard to find games without magic in them.... That's why I was hoping to get help from gamers who were more experienced than me. I figured if everyone knew at least one... hey, I'd have some choices, right?  

As far as 'minimal' magic, this phrase really does not affect my decision.  Whether a game has one magical item in the whole play, or is in a world surrounded by magic, I will not play it.  There is no degree of magical influence which I find 'acceptable' to look past.  

As for fire flowers and such power ups, I usually don't have a problem with them.  They aren't attributed to magic or demonic influences that I know of.  Besides that, most games have power ups and the power up have no basis to judge by.  ("Johnny punches the button and gets invincibility!" does not equal "Magical powers gave Johnny the ability to evade all harm!")  I'm not sure if that explains it well, but I'm not sure how else to word it.

Power ups don't bother me unless specifically given through magical or supernatural means (other than God).

Popeye116 :  I forgot that the DS plays GBA games, actually.  It was one of the reasons I was originally considering getting  DS, other than price.  GBA was really the only handheld I ever knew as a child, and I know the GBA library is gigantic.  How do the other people reading this thread feel about this feature? Does the DS being able to play GBA games outweigh the fact that 3DS can play DS games?  Since I have no experience with newer games, I have no basis on which to compare their qualities and level of interest/ challenge.

Crazy Li :  I see where you gave your opinion on this matter.  Portability is the selling point for me, even if I CAN play the games on vizzed.  OF course, the fact that they are here lessens this 'pro'.  However, can you go into a bit more detail?  Mainly, can you compare the systems' games in terms of interest and challenge?  I'd really appreciate it.  ^.^

Midoriko : No worries about it taking you some time!  There are many times it takes me a while to respond to something myself.  The XBOX can play Netflix on the television, just so you know.  

I'm not really TOO concerned about graphics, though those are always great of course.    If the game is interesting and allows a lot of exploration, I can easily be sold despite poor graphics.  

If I understand what you mean (and I think I do), I agree completely that many people find the line between magic and technology hard to distinguish.  I feel that seemingly impossible events, explained through technology.... are just fine.  I don't know if you've ever played Anarchy Online or heard of it, but this is one example of a game which uses technology and science as the reasoning behind amazing feats.  This doesn't bother me in even the slightest bit.

I saw an ad for Dead Space once, and I really don't think it's my thing at all, if I'm thinking of the right game.  LOL  Other than that, the only other game you mentioned that I know anything about is Assassin's Creed.  I never played it myself, but my husband did and said it was not a game he would play again due to either magic or supernatural (not of God) reasons. I can't really remember which it was, though I lean towards the supernatural tilt.

Don't apologize at all for your advice.  I really am more interested in a handheld I think, but a good set of games is more important to me than portability, which is why I found your advice interesting.


To anyone else reading or responding to this thread:  Please.... I KNOW my restrictions are.... restricting.  I don't need to be told that.  Hehe.  It's kind of pointless to say that again and again.  I just wanted to know if anyone was aware of games that fit within my personal convictions.  

Loving all the advice, and looking forward to more!  I'm not someone to rush into a decision, so this is extremely helpful.

Singelli : I think that the 3DS playing DS games outweighs playing GBA games on a DS. (Which, by the way, is only on the DS lite and original DS, not the DSi or XL.) The quality of games are much better on the DS, and plus, there is the point that with the 3DS, you can play 3DS and DS games, and even though it's not portable, you can always play the GBA games here. And as for the 3d, you could always turn it off. But it wasn't a problem for me, after the first day.

Singelli :
No, all of the games my mother has are not just answering questions. I can only PERSONALLY vouch for a few as I have not played all of her games, though. Brain Age and its sequel are tests with memorization, reaction speed, and finding ways to get your brain going.

One exercise has words come up, and you are meant to say the word out loud. Usually, they are of colors, but sometimes it tries to trick you by having the word "yellow" but have it highlighted in orange to throw you off. Another involves measuring how fast you read where it gives you a passage and... I think you just say when you are done (honor system). Then there are ones you would probably excel at, with math problems you are to answer as quickly as possible. It is all basic math, mind, alternating between multiplication, addition and subtraction (maybe division but I do not recall). There are also little memorization puzzles too, where you see characters going in and out of a building, and then it asks you how many remain inside or how many went in and left.

My mothers liked these, but said it got boring once you completed all the tasks and sudoku puzzles.

Big Brain Academy is similar to Brain Age, except it is more kid friendly. It still is all about freshening your brain though, it just has a less adult feel to it. (Nothing wrong, my best friend likes it as it is more colorful and less sciencey and sterile looking like Brain Age).

Think Smart I BELIEVE to be similar to Big Brain Academy and Brain Age, but it may have quiz like questions in it, I am not sure. Never got to play it. Flash Focus is all about eye training though, and has no quiz-like things. It mainly involves things like when should a baseball player swing a bat, and I think identifying an image before it comes fully into focus.

Professor Layton is actually a Puzzle-Adventure game. I do not believe it has magic, but it is another game I never played (mind, I wanted to but just never got around to it). That one has anywhere from simple match-em-up puzzles to really hard and tricky word problems (A friend showed me a few of the questions... oh boy...). No idea about Bests of Tests DS or 50 classic games, and the rest describe what they are in their title.

As for your other question involving game boy advanced games... Yes, the DS can play Game Boy Advanced game cartridges while the 3DS can only play them if you buy what is available in the online shop. You can have actual games saved and downloaded onto your 3DS to pick up and play at any point. You CANNOT transfer a cartridge to a 3DS system though (which would be cool but they want money from online sales instead =/ ).

I still have my old DS and play it sometimes, but I also have a Game Boy Advanced SP if I really feel in the mood to play my old Game Boy Advanced cartridges. I now mostly use the old DS for when I need to trade in games (such as Pokémon).

Singelli : To compare the games in terms of challenge and interest is a matter of opinion of course and I cannot assure that my opinion on this matter aligns with your own.

Since both systems play DS games, you'll have to look at GBA versus 3DS (and bare in mind that this is even only a question if you can get your hands on a really old DS that still plays GBA games. If you get one that's too new, you're stuck with DS only which is really a waste).

The GBA ran about 7 years officially so it obviously has a much larger library than the 3DS at this point since the 3DS JUST started recently. However, handheld gaming wasn't a very serious thing in that time. The GBA was probably the first handheld that had many games that were actually good games and not just really bad handheld versions of stuff... but even then, its technology was extremely limiting. At best, the GBA was SNES quality. Pretty sad for something that was around in the 2000s. Pretty much all the games were limited to sprite-based stuff, so if graphics mean anything to you, you're not going to find anything impressive on this front. Sound quality's nothing to write home about either.

Jump ahead to the 3DS and we not only have 3D polygon models for characters by this point, but the possibility for fully-voiced and engaging games like one could expect out of a semi-modern console. The thing can run Street Fighter 4 which was a game too intense for the Wii. That should mean something.

I can't tell you much about the current library of the 3DS because it's not yet extensive of course. Buying one is more of an investment into the future. I can tell you theoretical stuff based on trends, but don't know exactly what games for it will look like. I know that developers actually stared paying attention to handhelds in the DS era, releasing actual good new games rather than simple downscaled ports. I expect this trend to continue into the 3DS.

One of the really interesting 3DS releases for me is their Rollercoaster Tycoon game. That's traditionally been a PC franchise (and one I've loved), but it's not in a portable format which sounds really cool. I've yet to get it/play it, but I'm really interested in that. Interestingly, they also made an Angry Birds game for the 3DS. That's not my thing personally... but if it's yours, there's something. I also like superhero games, so The Amazing Spider-Man and Lego Batman 2 were nice additions... though those games might be too fast-paced for you. I'm also really excited about some of the RPG releases but I don't think any of those are stuff you'd play >.>

Oh and to answer an earlier question of yours, Harvest Moon 3D: A New Beginning was released for the 3DS in November (I need to buy this). So yes, the series is continuing on the 3DS and I'd expect more releases for it in the future.

Are there any other specific series you want me to research for you? I can tell you whether they've had 3DS releases or have announced upcoming ones.

Although I understand that Crazy Li is trying to give advice I really have to whole heartedly disagree with her that "Handheld Gaming wasn't a very serious thing at that time" On that limted statement alone one could draw the wrong idea. Realizing of course that the original gameboy/color was for a long time the best selling video game system of all time...Heck when the GBA game out handheld systems were probably at their best selling point ever...Keep in mind that it took awhile for the NDS to catch on. Besides, since when does grahics make a game? Also an assumption can be made that if a person plays a lot of games with Vizzed, they are probably ok with Sprite graphics.

There are probably a hundred great games on the GBA. Sure it's not the best system ever, but it sure has a larger library than the 3ds does. Who knows how long it will even last. Sales have been disappointing for Nintendo up until this point.

I bought the system when it came out for Travel and all I can say about it is that it's a NDS with a screen that has a little better resolution. To someone that's not a "Hardcore" gamer this probably means nothing. Very little of what I have seen out of the system looks like anything that would be released as a full game on current gen console. Maybe Wii at best.

Singelli : (You are the maker of this thread, Right?) You should get the Nintendo 3DS. I'll tell you the difference.

Nintendo DS (Original)
Only could play games, And do Some other stuff

Nintendo DSi (Internet Version, I Own one)
It has Internet connection, does other stuff AND Play DS games.

Nintendo 3DS (Newer Version)
There are so many features, Like the Home Menu, The feature to play DS AND 3DS games.....

Yeah, You should get a 3DS and get the games that you "might" Enjoy.

patar4097 :
Thanks for the advise you gave me.  I didn't even know there were so many types of DS's.  You are right about playing GBA games here, but I was thinking it might be nice to play them on the go as well.  I have a soft spot for them since they are what I (sort of) grew up with, and I simply didn't know if that nostalgia would allow the ability to play GBA games to outweigh everything else the 3DS offers.  I'm glad you can turn the 3D off because I have a feeling I couldn't handle it like you could.  

ruesen :
I'm so thankful that you were kind enough to type all that out for me, but now I feel kind of bad. XD  While -some- of those sound okay, those aren't exactly what I think of when I consider 'puzzle' games. XD  When I think of puzzle games, my mind wanders to games like "Boxy Boy" for MAME, a game in which you have to figure out which way to push boxes in order to clear a path to the finish line.  However, I did enjoy some of your suggestions, and I'm looking forward to checking them out.  

I definitely didn't know you could buy GBA games and store them to your system though. That kind of makes me worry less about getting a DS vs. a 3DS.  That right there is probably a selling point, but how much can the 3DS really store?

Crazy Li :
I was under the impression that all DS's could play GBA games.  Oy.... it's all so complicated!  LOL  Graphic and sound quality really don't mean that much to me though. I'm more about being challenged and a fun story line.  Like you, I can say I adore the Tycoon franchise, so that's something to look forward to for sure!  I saw an ad for the new Harvest Moon, and I'm really excited about that one as well!  I've never played a Harvest Moon game all the way through, but I dabbled with one here on vizzed for an hour or so, and I've got to say I'd love the series I think.

As for your offer to research more game series?  I'm very appreciative of that offer, but I'm afraid to say I don't know anything about series since my parents weren't big on getting us video games.  LOL Although I'd love to take you up on your offer, I wouldn't even know where to begin in asking.

Jordanv78 :
I agree with you about graphics.  You should see my comments below, so that I don't repeat myself.  LoL

----------

Ooookay.  So... guess what?  I was still contemplating things, but my husband decided to go ahead and buy us each a 3DS before I had even had the chance to make up my mind!  LOL  He also bought us each a Pokemon game.  In the past, we weren't really too sure about whether these games would be acceptable to play or not, but he finally agreed to give them a shot.  (He had heard some bad things about them that would make them not safe for Christians, and he had never looked into it himself until now.)  Thus, I can't really say if I'm into the franchise or not.  All I can say is I'm about 8 hours into the game (after 5 days), and stuck at the fourth gym.  LOL (Jason bought the White 2 version for me, and the Black 2 version for himself.)

I have to say this....:  WOW.

Okay, handheld consoles have come a long, long, LONG way since I last looked at one (probably 2003 or 2004).  My mind is totally blown with all the capabilities and I have to say it's a little overwhelming.  I can't believe everything this console can do, and I'm having a LOT of trouble getting accustomed to it.  LOL

I was right on the 3D:  Five seconds of it caused me to turn it off, because it hurt my eyes BIG time, even if it was set to the lowest level.  I do think it's a neat thing, but it's just not for me.

Everything else?  The AR cards, the Internet capabilities, the 'friends' list, the cameras........ YIPES.  I feel kind of like I got a brand new laptop!  I keep hitting the camera buttons by accident, I'm not fond of the power button, and I don't like how the lid 'clicks' when you push it further open or close it.  Other than those three things, I'm utterly enthralled and amazed.  (Oh, and I don't know if this is important to mention or not, but my husband bought the.... XL?  Whatever it is that has a larger screen than the normal version)

I can't figure out how to delete... applications?  Is that what I should call them?  I'd like to get rid of the ones I will never use to open up more room on the SD card. And I'm sure I can come up with LOTS of questions for you guys, if you're willing to be so kind.  For example, it has an SD card.  How hard is it to fill up, and will I need to buy a new one any time soon?  Are there any cool features that might not be so obvious to someone like me who hasn't touched a handheld in so long?  What are ways I can interact with people in order to maximize fun and productivity?  HOW can I connect with other people, and is there a limit to how many?

Don't even get me started with the interactions WITHIN games.  I am so lost within the Pokemon games on so many levels.  I'm SHOCKED that you can video call your friends, and I think that's awesome.  However, other features meant to encourage interaction have me totally confused, like surveys and your personal avenue.

The graphics, to me, are ASTONISHING.  I'm not used to a 3D environment and after spending a few years watching my little sister play Pokemon on the GBA, I sort of feel like I'm playing a brand new game.  Graphics really do NOT make a game as I've said before, but I'm still completely impressed and awed by the game.  If this is what I can expect of most games, I'm very excited to see what else is out there.

So I guess, in essence, that my original question is no longer legit.  Instead, I'd like to focus on just game suggestions.  What games would you guys suggest that don't have magic?  Can I buy classics like Arkanoid or Pac-man?  I tried glancing through the Nintendo shop, but I didn't see anything like it.  Speaking of which, do you suggest buying any of the games from the Nintendo Shop?  There were a lot of games in there.... I was surprised that you can buy games that normally come on consoles, too. Also, what's the difference between Spot Pass and Street Pass?  Is one through the Internet (far distances), and one through proximity (close distances)?  Is that the only difference

If any of these questions are answered in the manual (I'm sure many of them are), don't worry abut it.  I'll get around to reading it eventually and I don't want to waste your time!  Mainly, I'm interested in learning more about this, so if you guys can tell me how to enhance the experience, I'd be grateful!  Have a nice day/ night!

System developers are really weird about backwards compatibility so no, not all DS systems can play GBA games. You'll probably never find one brand new that will in fact. The store I work at stopped carrying the older ones that still play GBA games over a year ago. All we have left are the DSi systems that only play DS games. If you're lucky, you can get an old DS Lite used from Gamestop... but the only problem that since it's used, you have no idea how the last person who had it treated it. I find used game systems tend to break down within a year for me whereas ones I bought brand new can go 5-10 without even showing signs of wearing down because I take such good care of them.

As for the research... what about games you like here on Vizzed? That could be a start. If there's a series you've discovered and want to know what else is out there for it, just name it.

Singelli :
It's fine, Mom used most those games to try and keep her mind sharp. The Sudoku games are semi puzzles.

There is an online game that reminds me of your box pushing game, but I never did get to play it. Take a look at Pushmo in the shop and look at a video (or google it), I heard that was a highly successful game. Also take a look in the shop for some demos, they are floating around on there.

Also, not sure if you understood right or I was confusing about it, but when I said buy and store game boy advanced games, I mean if they are available in the online store, you can download a few game boy advanced games onto your system and like an application on a smart phone, you can keep it on there and play it anytime. Because I bought my 3DS early, I got a handful of old games on there.

Also, super awesome your husband got you both 3DSs! Also glad to hear you are trying out Pokémon. Last thing I heard that some religions did not like about it was either how addicting it got or that the Pokémon evolve... I think Pokémon White(2) does make a "god of Pokémon" reference somewhere I think, but it is probably best interpreted by you experiencing it. I also might be confusing it with Pokémon Diamond, as both those games I have not played much of or much lately. Worst case scenario, you put the game down and no longer play it. Just know the earlier games have no such references so do not be turned off by Pokémon just for one version of the game.

You can delete SOME application by going into System Settings, Data Management. Then DSi Ware to delete DSi apps you downloaded or Nintendo 3DS and choose through the menu there.  Not everything is deletable, though, but you can find what you CAN delete there.

To clear up clutter or organize your menu, you can click on an empty space cell on the menu and create folders to organize. I mainly did this to categorize some of my games I got, and move undeleteable annoyances out of my face.

One free application the 3DS incorporates is called Swapnote. You can send messages to those on your friends list (and also has swapnote) by drawing, writing, attaching pictures, and/or even 5 second audio clips!

As for games, I may have mentioned before, but I got Dr. Mario Express from the shop as a nice puzzle game, Twin Bee (a classic shooter), Brain Age Express: Sudoku, and Touch Solitaire as my apps. I am looking to get more but when I firs got the 3DS, I had no job and had to limit my spending with it. Most the games I got were for free from Club Nintendo rewards (when registering some Nintendo games and systems, you get "coins" you can use to buy rewards. Also you can take surveys of games you tried for small chump change too). Now that I have a good job, I may have to get back into looking around at the shop for some other games.

Since the shop is rather well organized, you could just search for games by saying "Puzzle" in search bar and see what comes up. When you find an interesting game, you can google search for it to see if it looks worth purchasing.

If you want RPG's then sure,the new pokemon games are coming out fairly soon and they look great,but the DS RPG library isn't as big as people make it out to be,the only good DS RPG's I've played was the pokemon games,Attack of the saiyans and Magic star sign (But you want magicless rpgs?)

DARKANINE : Man you have been missing out. There are a number of great RPG's on the DS. Just very few that follow the "No magic" guideline.

Dragon Quest series? Final Fantasy? Radiant Historia? The Devil Survivor? The World Ends with you? Mario and Luigi? Etrian Odyssey? That's just off the top of my head.

Well... You should get a 3ds because you can play ds games on it. Although i wouldn't be able to tell you what games to get for it because most rpg games i play on ds and 3ds have magic in them. I would suggest pokemon, castlevania, or zelda. your missing out on amazing games that have magic in them (theres not many magicless rpgs out there.)Why don't you want magic in it anyway???

shadow1o0 : She's already bought a 3DS. Her conviction about magic is due to her beliefs about magic.
Singelli : Do you have any games yet? Other than pokemon, I mean.

Crazy Li : Do you have any good tips for taking care of it?  I mean, if I treat it like I would my laptop, would that be could care?  Or do I need to do more with it?  It's been so long since I touched a handheld before I got the 3DS, and I'm still marveling at it almost 2 weeks later.  lol

Hmmm... games I like on vizzed?  I don't really get to explore them much, really.  I imagine I'll get the time in the summer, but right now it's nearly impossible.  I don't think I've even touched my 3DS more than 3 times this week, though I've really enjoy playing on it.

I think out of the few I have tried?  My favorites were the following:  GBA's "Sheep", SNES's "Live a Live", and MAME's "Mustache Boy".  I love several other games (like Arkanoid), but I fear those kinds of games might have limited replay value, or that they might end too quickly for me.   I mean, if I wanted to play a game like Arkanoid on a handheld, I'd want it to have like 200 levels.  LOL  The same goes for rpg's.  I'd hate to play something like Live a Live and be able to finish it in a couple of days.  I'd have to say that I'd be likely to turn down even and rpg if I felt I could beat it in less than a week.  (Unless, of course, it was a game with awesome replay value.)

I hope that's not being too picky, but I'm really up for any suggestions of good games as long as they don't have magic in them.  

ruesen :
I'll take a look into Pushmo.  Thanks for suggesting it to me!  Hopefully it has lots of levels. XD  And I did understand what you meant by buying games online to download onto your 3DS.  I've NEVER had a handheld that could do something like that though, and I'm worried about how much memory that would take.  I mean, I don't want to go buy a couple of games and then have no room for saving the games I play....

I think actually my husband had heard several people say (when Pokemon first came out) that pokemon were supposed to be demons from space or something like that.  Supposedly the Pokemon site listed that as the background story of pokemon initially, but my husband had never looked into it himself because he was much younger.  He searched the web before he bought the games, and even if the pokemon site DID state that once, they certainly no longer do.  There are a few smaller issues that might have been concerns in the game, but I think he's deemed that it's not a bad game.  LOL  I've been enjoying it myself, and I don't really see anything worth complaining about.   The game is a little over my head because of how far technology has come, but that's about it.  (I'm referring to all the special characteristics of the game like being able to have your own 'hall' and whatever the 'dream world' thing is, and being able to interact with other people through the web....  *eyes widen*  I'm so lost with all that.  If I stay to the confines of the game itself, I'm good. hehe.)

Thanks for the hints on how to operate the little machine.  I didn't even know you could create folders.  I'll see if I can figure that out.  And I ADORE Swapnote.  That program is just TONS of fun, and it's greatly amusing to me because..... once again, I feel so out of touch with gaming capabilities.  I wouldn't mind keeping nothing else on my 3DS but the Swapnotes, and whatever games I play.  The AR cards are also pretty amazing, as is the 'face shooting' game thing.  But they don't keep me as amused for as long because the 3D kind of hurts my eyes.  (Geez... I sound like an 80 year old grandma, don't I? I swear I'm only 25!!!)

DARKANINE :
Magic-less, yes.  Which Pokemon game is the best in your opinion? I have Pokemon White2.

Jordanv78 :
Do any of those not have magic?  

shadow1o0 :
As mrfe said, I have a 3DS now, but thanks for the advice!  And I don't play games with magic in them because it's a personal conviction of mine based off what God's Holy Word tells us.  I'm writing a devotional on it sometime in the future.  I've gathered some verses... I just need to take the time to sort through them and put them together....

mrfe:
Yes!  My husband bought me 3 games:  Pokemon White2, Mario Kart7, and Nintendogs.  I've only played Pokemon White2 for the most part.  I played Mario Kart7 for about 30 minutes.   I haven't even tried Nintendogs yet, but it's a pet simulator. (I'm kind of weird about games in that I want to get the full experience of one game before I'm ready to move on to the next.)

Hmm, sounds like you are going to have a bit of trouble finding games that fit that description. Either way, I highly would recommend a 3ds, and a 3ds XL if it is within your budget. The 3ds is the better option because
1. You are able to play regular ds games on the 3ds
2. 3ds has a wider variety of games as well as games to come, including regular ds games
3. Regular ds does not have any more games expected to be released for it

So, from personal experience in owning a 3ds, I more so recommend the 3ds over the regular ds.

Tales of the Abyss is an excellent RPG for the 3ds. It might have magic in it but everything that could be considered magic has an explanation so it feels more sci-fi to me.

dragon111 :
whitestar49 : She already has a 3ds. She already made that clear.

Singelli : As far as the 3d goes, you might get used to it. It took me two days to get used to it, but 3d doesn't normally do anything to me, but you might get used to it. And I don't think Paper Mario has any magic in it, but I would look it up, because some Mario games have the "Magikoopas", but I'm not sure about it. Sorry, but that;s all I've got for RPGs. The only ones that I've really ever played was Pokemon, Paper Mario, and Mario & Luigi.   And I know that the Mario & Luigi series has the Magikoopas.

Singelli : Care? Uh... if you can take good care of products in general, you should be fine. I don't do anything special for my 3DS. I know they have screen protectors and whatnot... but those are mostly only needed for little kids who don't know how to take care of things.

Also, to elaborate on what Rikloud said... Tales of the Abyss has "magic" in a weird way. It's actually the power of sound. In the Abyss world, everything is made of "fonons" which are like sound elements. The skills you use invoke these fonons that are around you rather than how most RPGs do magic. I'm not sure if that would be different enough to be okay, though. It still has traditionally named stuff like Fire, Ice, Lightning, etc... but Fire spells are from Fire Fonons. I'd also like to note that it's one of my favorite games. I'm not sure how long it would take to beat though... because I think if you really sit down and dedicate yourself to it, any game can be beaten pretty quickly. I think the longest RPG I've ever played was Tales of Legendia... that game went on forever because it had like 3 whole plots in one. Unfortunately for you, it has definite magic magic. In that game, you collect these stone thingies through which you draw your skills.

To agree with Crazy Li, I don't use screen protectors. I've also dropped my 3ds like 15 times, worst it'll do is shut off. I haven't had any problems with it. XD I mean, you might want to clean the screen every once in a while, dry cloth or whatever you have lying around, just to get the dust and stuff off the screen, but it's really low maintenance. XD