Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 refines and expands everything. Manuals to chain combos forever, cult parks and a broader pro lineup. It's one of the greatest sports games ever made, full stop. The N64 cut can't quite hold the visual pace, but the gameplay remains an absolute peak.
Your verdict
Category
Sports1 player12+
Description
Sequel to Tony Hawk's Pro Skater with new levels, characters, and the revolutionary manual system. Published by Activision/Neversoft, released in 2001 in Europe and North America. Manuals to extend combos, new tricks like the Darkslide grind, real-world-inspired levels, and Create-a-Skater mode.
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 review
4/5
Art direction
★★★★★
"Striking"
MAX
Music
★★★★★
"Legendary"
1/5
Story
★★★★★
"Anecdotal"
Carried by Rage Against the Machine's "Guerrilla Radio" and an explosive punk-rap line-up, the entry pushes the intensity up a notch. Every track sticks to the flow of the combos and spikes the adrenaline of the sessions. This legendary selection, often cited as the best in the series, still electrifies today.
Gameplay
"Masterful"
The arrival of the manual changes everything: linking jumps with ground balances lets you stretch combos endlessly and multiplies creativity. The levels, better designed than ever, reward reading the scenery and sheer daring. Even compressed onto the handheld, this scoring loop keeps a formidable streak of addiction and remains a peak of the genre.
Fun
"From the very first seconds"
The arrival of the manual changes everything: linking two tricks with a balance on the wheels opens up near-infinite combos and multiplies the joy of the chain. Levels built for virtuosity and a cult soundtrack complete a perfect balance. Freer, deeper, this entry is often cited as the absolute peak of arcade skating. Immediate and inexhaustible.
Addictiveness
"Obsessive"
Linking tricks on the ground via the manual to stretch a combo into infinity deepens the pursuit of score and makes each run more exhilarating than the last. Spending your points to upgrade the skater adds a moreish progression. A few repetitive objectives crop up, but the perfect balance between freedom and challenge makes it an ever-captivating peak of the genre.
Activision and Edge of Reality North American January 2001 pressing of Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 on N64, regarded by the press as one of the peaks of the Neversoft formula on cartridge. The US version keeps the full licensed soundtrack, which would be partially replaced in modern reissues due to rights issues. That musical integrity makes it the favored version among Activision skate enthusiasts loyal to the original production.
Is Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 still worth playing in 2026?
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 refines and expands everything. Manuals let combos chain indefinitely, cult parks like School II and Marseille become legendary, and the pro roster widens. Quite simply, one of the greatest sports games ever made. The N64 version does not quite match the PSX or PC visuals and music, but the gameplay remains an absolute peak and the precision intact. For retro sports fans and lovers of perfectly tuned design, still a classic to devour today, well worth the time.
