The upcoming Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) in Seattle will give consumers their first-ever chance to play upcoming Wii and Nintendo DS games. Visitors to Nintendo’s booth (#352) will be able to get their hands on games such as Donkey Kong Country Returns, Kirby’s Epic Yarn, GoldenEye 007 from Activision Publishing, Inc. and NBA JAM from EA SPORTS. Fluidity, a new game for Nintendo’s WiiWare downloadable game service, will also make its debut at PAX.

Nintendo’s Fluidity combines an amazing physics engine that realistically models flowing water with innovative puzzle game play. Using the three forms of water – liquid, ice and cloud – players will solve challenging puzzles across multiple chapters of an illustrated magical book called Aquaticus. The game offers detailed tutorials that introduce basic game mechanics, but the complexity quickly ramps up as special powers are acquired and enemies are introduced, testing players’ reflexes and ingenuity.

PAX attendees will also be able to get their hands on Metroid: Other M to see the seamless new perspective-switching first-person/third-person approach to this classic franchise. Visitors to the booth can also view one-of-a-kind costumes and props from the new Metroid: Other M television commercial in a special display area. Combining exploration, combat and a storyline that delves into the personal history of bounty hunter Samus Aran, Metroid: Other M launches on Aug. 31.

With so many video game fans converging in one place, PAX is the ideal place for players who already own DRAGON QUEST IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies to gather to trade treasure maps or go questing together. Nintendo will provide DRAGON QUEST IX owners at the show with a special downloadable “Orgodemir” map via the game’s cooperative “Tag Mode” feature. Anyone who hasn’t yet purchased the game for the Nintendo DS family of systems can try it out at the Nintendo booth, and those looking to meet up with other players can do so at a special game-themed lounge in the North Lobby on level four of the PAX venue.

To receive treasure maps, players must have their Nintendo DS system running the DRAGON QUEST IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies game, set to Tag Mode. Once players reach the town of Stornway, they are able to access Tag Mode by talking to Erinn at the inn called “Quester’s Rest.”