I think it is simply The Best Skateboarding / Extreme Sports Game ever.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 is the best skateboarding game I have ever played. For the fact of having the cheat codes to beat career mode instantly and unlock everything in the game. As well as having the code to have the gap list completed so the unlocking of Private Carrera happens. I also like the fact that it features Pro Skaters like Bob Burnquist and Eric Koston among other names in the sport of skateboarding at the time.
I think the inclusion of Marvel Comics superhero Spider Man is great as well as fun to play because you can play as the many faces of Spider Man. Such as Captain Universe, The Silver Spider, Symbiote Spider Man,and the original Red Suit Spider Man. Which is a great thing too because you don't see too many superheros in other games especially skateboarding games and sports games in general. I think the crossover is great between Marvel and Activision so that comic fans and casual gamers will like the addition if they pick this game up off of a friend or eBay or anywhere else.
The levels are great my favorites are the Airplane Hanger, The Bullfighting Arena, and The Marvel level. The levels are very well constructed and provide hours of entertainment for me and my friends. The fun of the levels and the skateable objects are off the charts they seem so real as well as unreal at the same time.
I love the fact that they include a create a skater function which is fun to do if your bored and just want to create some crazy skaters and have them ride on the levels. The create a skate park is an option which is a very good creative process to design some of the craziest skate parks in the entire game. The career mode is good but there isn't much of a story to it unlike the games later on in the series.
Single session is a good way for friends to take turns playing in freeskate mode but with a time limit. So you and your friends could have contests with that particular mode. You could easily win some prizes or some money with that mode if you run a vintage gaming club.
So I'm going to end with this Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 is I think the greatest skateboarding / extreme sports game I have ever played. For it's hours on end of excitement. The great unlockable levels and characters as well as the cool locations the levels are set in as well as the skate park pieces that are in the levels. As well as single session create a skater and career mode as well.