Like a hot nurse kissing a mime, there's something good and something bad in today's update from the always-busy developers behind the PS3's bone-breaking simulator, Pain. First, the bad news: the downloadable "Uncle Jimmy's Fun Park" level, originally planned for release tomorrow, has been delayed, and is currently targeted for release on the ominous date of Sept. 11.

Why was it delayed? Well that's the good news: the development team has been spending its time scaling back the difficulty of the somewhat ridiculous trophies it announced last month. Seems testers didn't have too much fun grinding their way through the "one billion points" trophy, among others. The new trophy list, which is copied below the break, is also set to be downloadable on Sept. 11

Never one to be outdone by its European counterpart, Sony Computer Entertainment America just announced its very own 160GB PlayStation 3 bundle. Offering more than just €70 worth of downloadable game content, SCEA's bundle includes the recently unveiled 160GB PlayStation 3, Naughty Dog's excellent Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, a PSN voucher for PAIN (expires March 30, 2009), and a DualShock 3 controller, for the price of $499.99.

Picking our way through the system's specs, it looks like the 160GB PS3 offers only 2 USB ports and no flash card readers, leading us to believe its functionally identical to the 40GB (now 80GB) low-end model. To put it another way: it appears the 160GB model will not have backwards compatibility for PS2 games. As for availability, the press release vaguely states "November." We'll try to get something definitive on the backwards compatibility situation.

We don't quite know how it does it, but the seemingly shallow Pain keeps finding ways to work itself back onto our radar. Before it's been free DLC, this time it's Trophies, being added to the game on Sept. 4, alongside the "Amusement Park" DLC pack. We're not positive, but it appears you won't have to grab the DLC to get the Trophies, they'll just be arriving concurrently.

After the break you'll find a full list of Trophies, which run the gamut from seemingly impossible to embarrassingly crude. Which, as Pain producer Travis Williams points out, is completely appropriate for the game.

Since we don't want you to be overwhelmed by the deluge of media emerging from E3, we've picked a bouquet of the best screenshots from Sony first-party PSN lineup, including luscious images from ex-seed expectations experience, Flower. Ratchet & Clank: Quest for Booty, PixelJunk Eden, Fat Princess, Siren: Blood Curse ... Which of these are you dying to download?

The guilty pleasure that was is PAIN for PS3 is finally getting some substantial new content. By "substantial" we mean a new level – which will join the game's only level – called "Uncle Jimmy's Fun Spot Amusement Park." Sony and developer Idol Minds reckon it's more of an abusement park (their pun, not ours) and it's bringing more than just fresh scenery to the game.

Slated to arrive "this summer," the PAIN Amusement Park add-on will introduce new player-requested features, including online multiplayer and PlayStation Trophies. These are in addition to the abundance of added moving set pieces you can see in the above video. Looks like in the case of PAIN and new content, it does hurt to ask.

The PSN update this week is nothing special, but we're still too busy sifting through the MGS4 Database added in last week's update to really care. Beyond the surprising amount of depth the database gets into, it's interesting to see some flat-out confirmations of some arguable points in the MGS canon -- like the whole Raikov being gay thing. The other additions this week include the normal rhythm game additions and Medievel Resurrection for PSP. The full PSN update can be found after the break.

The MGS4 Database is the big deal this week on the European PSN update, get the full details on the update over at PS3 Fanboy.

Much like Ben Folds' solo project Fear of Pop, we hear a tale about a store where pain's for free, and if we ask for more, we don't pay our money and it's terrible pain and it's all for free. It turns out that there is such a place: The PlayStation Network, which will add some new content to PSN title Pain for free today.

As reported on Sony's official blog, the updates include:

• Jukebox Play – Play your own music in Pain. Yay!
  
• New Downtown Layouts – New configurations for downtown. Demolition and Block Party. You'll find out how to unlock these (playable in HORSE mode) by going to the trophy room.
  
• Multiple Character Selection – Play two-player games with different characters.
  
• Logo Skip – Skip the, uh, opening logo.

We usually ask this question with free DLC, and this time we're pretty sure we know the answer. But here it goes anyway: Are you still playing Pain?

Get your equal-opportunity woman beating on in this week's PSN update with PAIN's two new characters. Ginger the Nurse and Buffy the Cheerleader are ready to feel the impact of pavement and cars for $1 a piece. The Toy Home expansion may interest some folks along with the God of War: Chains of Olympus PS3 theme for free. Beyond that there's a smattering of random stuff to go with the newest Rock Band and GHIII DLC.

Check out the complete list of this week's content after the break. To see what the Europeans got (hint: not much) go visit our pint-loving comrades at PS3 Fanboy.

Not through pummeling your pixelated pals with PAIN? Well, this week the PSN update will allow you to procure for a pittance a pirate to persistently pound into pavement. Skurv Dogg is a new downloadable character for PSN's PAIN at a mere $.99. Beyond that there's your normal serving of Rock Band DLC with a side order of No Doubt for Guitar Hero III. Want more? Um, there's the Star Trek teaser trailer in glorious HD to fill your television screen for a little over a minute.

Check out the complete list of content after the break and go say hi to the gentlemen at PS3 Fanboy for European update details.

This week's batch of PlayStation Network content is pretty massive - "our biggest ever," according to the official US PlayStation blog. There's a catch, of course, in that PSN will not be updated next Thursday (also known as Christmas Eve). Enough pouting, let's open our presents a week early!

Warhawk fans have the most gifts under the tree this week, with the already-opened Omega Dawn expansion, a free theme, a game video of the expansion and (gasp!) the original Warhawk PS One title downloadable as a classic for play on either the PS3 or PSP. Rhythm fans also get a tasty sampler of the usual Rock Band DLC and a free Guitar Hero III song, the holiday-themed "We Three Kings" (strangely absent from the list: the premium GH3 songs for this week).

Downloadable games include Toy Home, Snakeball and two PS Eye games: Trials of Topoq and Mesmerize: Distort. A demo for Blacksite: Area 51 is also out, and those looking for more festive updates can check out the free Folklore DLC and PAIN wallpaper. Full update list after the break; check out our sister site PS3 Fanboy for European PSN update info.

Update: So apparently we have two fewer days to shop for Christmas gifts than we thought. Hmph.

This week's PSN Thursday update brings the Pain (sorry). The idea behind this $10 PSN downloadable game is to inflict as much pain as possible on your pitiable pixelated counterpart through myriad ill-advised (and physics-based!) scenarios. If you enjoy watching people getting launched from a slingshot into the side of a building, then we know the game for you (and we've also got the number of a great therapist).

Not into the pain thing? There are also new maps for Resistance: Fall of Man, vehicles for Motorstorm, David Bowie Rock Band DLC, and Oblivion's Shivering Isles. For the PSN European update please check out sister-site PS3 Fanboy, US folks can hit up the full update list after the break.

If you're the sort who revels in the suffering of polygonal citizens, laughing maniacally as ragdoll physics drag their flailing bodies down the stairs and into physically awkward and often impossible positions, the PlayStation Network has the game for you this Thursday. Concisely dubbed "PAIN," the downloadable title hopes to indulge your vicious impulses and charge you $9.99 to repeatedly launch a man from a giant slingshot into an oncoming bus.

Though the game injects several different modes (they had us with "Mime Toss") and online features into the proceedings, we wonder if the game's longevity will extend beyond that of the game's protagonist protagonized. We can't wait to find out.

Gamevideos shows two new clips of Pain, the extreme health insurance simulation. Well, like the rest of our murder simulators, Pain only shows the id-worthy, visceral high of crashing your sim-like characters into obstacles. Pain unrealistically omits the months and years of recovery.

Anyway, the jackasses in us have been scoping this upcoming, PS3 downloadable for its visceral high and unrealistic omission of months and years of recovery. See some of the ways you'll torture your characters after the break.

Sony Computer Entertainment America has announced its 2007 holiday lineup for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Network and PlayStation Portable. The full list (posted after the break) contains every released and unreleased title the publisher expects to add to the cacophony of "Buy me!" screams echoing throughout the aisles this festive season.

Highlights includes the cringe-inducing PAIN, stealth saga Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus and Lara Croft gender bender, Uncharted: Drake's Fortune for PS3. You'll also spot a burst of confidence regarding the timely arrival of one Unreal Tournament III, despite the fact that publisher Midway has written it off for 2007. Is Epic Games going to perform an unlikely Unreal miracle, or did someone miss the memo?