Maybe it's because of my age, not super old but I was in Middle School when THPS1&2 released.
I felt like THPS3 was a total step in the wrong direction, waaaaaay too arcadey and terrible levels. Made me lose all interest in the series and I was still the key demographic for it.
THPS2 on PSX or DC is all I need. It's perfection IMO. I don't even like those remasters. I know it sounds silly but it was way too fluid for me, and obnoxiously fast. Couldn't even play it, whereas I can go into THPS1&2 and pick up like I never stopped playing either game. I don't know if the remasters are inherently faster, maybe it's just the framerate, but it was legit unplayable for what I expected.
Edit-
We need a remaster of Dave Mirra 2. Some of the proceeds can go towards CTE studies. RIP Dave