Nintendo notches it up once again.

• Position: VIDEO GAMES - Nintendo 3DS XL - Product/service evaluation

Do your socks go missing in the dryer? Are you constantly shopping for useless stuff? Or maybe you can't stop spilling all of your secrets? All of this could be caused by Yo-kai. Hundreds of these sometimes spooky, sometimes cute, and usually mischievous Yo-kai secretly inhabit our world. They can't be seen by the human eye, but they're hiding everywhere. In Japanese culture, there are common references to invisible forms that are all around us, causing us to do things that are embarrassing, frustrating, or just downright silly. When you ask yourself "why?" the answer is simple: "Yo-kai is why!" Two years ago, this concept was made into Yo-Kai Watch, an original game from top Japanese entertainment company Level-5 Inc., and now it's available on the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. Here, players must explore to find and befriend more than 200 Yokai, each with unique skills, strengths, and personalities. The adventure begins in an expansive world filled with hidden Yo-kai waiting to be discovered. When Whisper, the self-proclaimed "Yo-kai Butler," is encountered, he entrusts the player with a special Yo-kai watch, which allows the invisible Yo-kai to be seen. Once befriended, players can form a team to challenge and defeat troublemaking Yo-kai or solve the problems of people in need. Finding all the Yo-kai in the game (especially the rare ones) and seeing their inspired names and charming designs is all part of the fun. For more information about the game, which is rated E 10+ for Comic Mischief and Mild Fantasy Violence, visit http://yokai.nintendo.com.

Players now can party with all of their Animal Crossing friends with Nintendo's Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival for the Wii U console. Bundled with two figures and three unique amiibo cards, the game allows fans to play as Animal Crossing characters such as Isabelle, Tom Nook, and Digby. Just tapping in the animal brings it to life in an expansive and dynamic game board based on the months of the year--each full of hilarious, adorable, and just plain wacky Animal Crossing events. The goal is to make your villager the happiest in town by playing through these events and collecting Happy Points along the way. Players will get a glimpse of daily village life with each roll of the dice and might get extra Bells or Happy Points (or both) or lose them, as they experience classic events from the series--like buying turnips from Joan on Sundays and selling them the next week. More characters can be...