^exacly

Sony does this in a very unique way by not branding 1 certain char with their console. They are also best at applying to both the "hardcore" and the "casual" audience.

I think people don't believe Sony offers casual games because a lot of the casual stuff they had didn't make it's way out of Europe with the ps2. It was hard as hell to find any eyetoy games here in America.

Yeah I agree with that.

The defining game of the Playstation is Gran Turismo. The problem with that being the defining title, and why it never gets properly pegged as such, is because you can't put a face in a game about 700 cars. Case in point, people want to say God of War, with it's underwhelming 2-3 million in sales over a game that has consistently sold over 10 million for 10 years and running, because Kratos is a personality and Lamborghini is not. There is no contest though. Gran Turismo cannot be the "mascot" of the Playstation brand but it is 100% assuredly the defining game series of it.

Which is why the OP had in the post that Crash Bandicoot was the first true 1st party game that did the full job of being a mascot and was a great platformer for the system. It also had great sales.

I know this. Still, Sony put the most faith in the 3rd party titles. I told Sony fanboys not to rely upon that phenomenon. When the PS3 era happened everything changed and now Sony is forced to focus on first party. I told everyone, and they can call me an asshole all they want. I wasn't being an asshole, I was warning people with confidence. Microsoft had to take exclusivity of the top selling 3rd party games away from PS3 and it has weakened the PS3 because of that. Microsoft just stated recently that I cannot wait to go head to head with Sony's first party titles. They also have alot more upcoming first party titles that are going  to be coming out and some secret projects.

Back to the topic at hand. MGS4 is the most popular standing title that had strength on the PS3. Look at the proportions of commercialism that Sony provided for MGS4. It was out of hand.

I never said each and every one of them was hardcore. But the PS brand is more hardcore oriented and that's a fact... even though it has a whole lot of what you would percieve as "casual". Look what REALLY sold on it.

LBP will certainly be well recived at launch, but it will the type of title that will have massive legs.

PS1 - Crash, Spyro, Final Fantasy, GT

PS2 - Final Fantasy, Jak, Ratchet, GT, Grand Theft Auto, GoW, Devil May Cry

PS3 - Uncharted, MGS4, and probably Killzone 2 and LBP

PSP - Daxter........ [Monster Hunter???]

This is just how it felt for me anyway...

EDITED

That's all fine and dandy if we want to speak of the Playstation brand in terms of only the original Playstation. I'm talking about the brand's image as it has been since Gran Turismo was created. It was easy to put one of two faces on the PSOne, either Crash or Cloud, but there was never a true one face to rule them all on the PS2, but a smattering or lords vying for an empty throne. That's because the cars can't fill the seat, but they are the real image burned into the average consumer's head when they think of Playstation. No Ratchet, Kratos, Sack Boy, Nathan Drake, or any other exclusive personality, just the title Gran Turismo.