I'm probably overrating this, but the Tony Hawk series felt like it came out at the perfect time for me to enjoy it and THPS 2 certainly felt like the best of the series. It made me want to skate in real life (and I did! for a while!) and when I didn't skate I could just virtually skate for hours on end with no real goal in mind. Excellent levels, the manual unlocked the perfect gameplay, and the best soundtrack of the bunch- "May 16th" might be my top THPS song.