An alternative sport game worth its salt.
Then, there's the gameplay. This stat system blows THPS's out of the water. No cash icons used to buy 'em, no "do-this-mission-and-you-get-a-stat". It's all experience, baby. The more you grind, the better you get. The more you jump, the higher and farther you can jump. Kick-ass RPG element for that.
Plus, the levels are huge. Awesome huge. A little segmented, granted, but I think that makes it even cooler. The mission are fun, for the most part, but there's a few too many "get X points within Y minutes" for my taste.
Then, there's a the idea that sets it way apart from Tony Hawk: The Juice Meter. You have a certain amount of Juice. Juice is the energy of which all that is kickass in the universe is consisted of. You lose your juice, you lose your life. Bigger tricks net you more Juice, and you can get Juice boxes for a quick recharge, or Juice carton to increase the meter.
There's also a neat slew of characters, including some hidden characters. No create-a-player, but you won't miss it, believe me.
There's a create-a-park, though, which can be great if you're looking to challenge your friends to skate your park.
Speaking of friends, there's a multiplayer mode, too. The only game I felt to be lacking. The modes are a little shabby, and you can't use all the career mode levels, but it's still fun to play.
The graphics aren't anything special, but they're passable.
I recommend buying it. It's only, like, ten bucks at a Gamestop by now.
Worth every penny, I assure you.