TR2 is still my favourite TR game and I will tell you why.
When TR1 was launched it was groundbreaking, with third person shooter perspective, ie, instead of just a pair of hands and guns being shown which we were used to, suddenly we had a character in front of us, ie, Lara Croft. It was brilliant, though the visuals were rather low pixel quality, the best that could be achieved at that time.
TR2 though was a massive step forward, with fantastic visuals, a fantastic story, and not just about tombs but instead the story travelled the World, and had entirely different levels to explore. It was totally immersive and atmospheric with the looks, the music, just everything was right about it
My favourite level of my favourite game is the Floating Islands, just due to the surreal layout of a mystical realm and that background music atmosphere and those flying baddies. It just gave me goose bumps on my arms the first time i played, and just love playing it.
Yep, TR2 is for me, though I can see why others have their own favourite TR game