Posted this in the other thread for the game, thought it might get some conversation going.
Here's what I think:
I'm not too far into the game. I'm doing exactly what I did with Spider-Man 2: taking my own sweet time.
The first time I played through Spider-Man 2, it took me five and a half weeks to finish the story mode. I remember the first time I picked up the controller, heard the Bruce Cambell voice over, and fired that first web-line. That single moment was, without a doubt, one of the most intense experiences I've gotten out of any game to date.
The story mode took me so long because, in all honesty, I was too preoccupied just swinging around and stopping random, boring crimes. A few weeks after I got the game, I actually lugged my PS2 over to my best friend's house, turned it on, and just said "here. Play this. You have to experience this." I still feel that way to this day. Spider-Man 2 was the definitive Spider-Man experience on any console. I feel, however, that this wasn't because of how intuitive the game was in and of itself, but, rather, because of how many expectations the game shattered.
In Spider-Man: The Movie, gamers were introduced to an all-new combat and combo system after two years working with the same three-button combos that took hold in Spider-Man. And, despite having a fresh combat system, the controls for Spider-Man: The Movie were somewhat convoluted. The Web-Rodeo move, for instance, took hours of practice to get down-pat.
As far as the story is concerned, I still like a lot of elements from Spider-Man: The Movie more than I do from any other story we've seen. I write the Ben Reilly character in the Ultimate Marvel game on the Hype! RPG forum and Spider-Man in my own fan-fiction, and I still use the line, "Well... breaking and entering isn't usually my thing... but this time I'll make an exception." The puzzles were fun and challenging, but not difficult, and the game itself was, overall, a simple improvement over Spider-Man, in every sense of the word.
When Spider-Man 2 was announced, I thought we'd be getting more of the same. Clearly, at that point, Activision wanted to knock some heads, and that's exactly what they did. They reinvented the combo system, making it a single-button attack mode. By far, this made the game's combat system the most intricate yet. Yet, somehow, the controls were simplified to a point where all you had to do was press the "Web" button three times and you'd ensnare a few thugs. The added functionality of the "spider-sense" and "spider-reflexes" have yet to be equaled. Each new ability made gameplay dynamic and more uniquely "Spider-Man" than we had seen to that point, or have seen since.
Webswinging. I don't feel I need to emphasize this point anymore. The Spider-Man 2 swing system is second to none. The only experience I have had that rivals the swinging system in a game is the flight system in Superman Returns, that game's only saving grace in my book.
The game wasn't without flaws, though. The free-roam missions got old fast... Real fast. Tokens were borderline impossible to find (Hell, I remember staying up for three days straight scouring the city for skyscraper tokens... it was the summer, ok?), villains could block your punches, and the city didn't feel very alive once you'd swung through it a few hundred times.
Ultimate Spider-Man, Friend or Foe, and Spider-Man 3 were crap. Yes, I said it. All of them. After a while, the USM combat system got old and unpredictable, though it had pretty decent voice-acting, Friend or Foe was a letdown in nearly every sense of the word, and Spider-Man 3 was... Spider-Man 3/
And, now, we come to Web of Shadows. Yeesh. I think this game is my third favorite Spider-Man game we've seen thus far, preceded by Spider-Man 2 and Spider-Man, respectively. Granted, this game is riddled with flaws. Combat gets old, web-swinging feels like it's made for an autistic dwarf, and the story and missions both repetitive and predictable.
That said, however, there are certain aspects of this game that deserve high praise. The first in my mind is, without a doubt, the ability to switch between the black suit and the red. They're staunchly different experiences. This is, in all honesty, something I wasn't expecting. I figured we'd get something along the lines of Spider-Man 3. Namely, you'd get some new combos when you got the black suit, and you'd be able to use those after you got rid of it anyway. In short, I wasn't really sure what the point of the black suit would be. Needless to say, I have pleasantly surprised with the depth of the two suits. The red is, obviously, far more agile, but, when I need to get something done, Spidey dons the black suit.
It's puzzling to me, then, why people call the game a button masher. Is it possible to run through the game and constantly press "punch?" Well... yeah. Show me an action game that that's not possible for, though. There really isn't one. The combat is as deep or as shallow as the player intends for it to be. There are hundreds of possible combos, assuming that the player is wise enough to vary his use of the black suit and red suit. You can transition seamlessly between the two, and combat never misses a beat.
Another welcome addition, as far as I'm concerned, is the "web strike" ability. I think this one, maybe, is on-par with the "Spider-Sense" from Spider-Man 2. It, truly, opens up a whole new host of abilities and spider-like moves that we've never even thought of before. But, as was said before, if you keep using the same combo over and over and over and over and over and over and over again, it will, shockingly, get old.
The locomotions we see in this game are new and welcome, as well. Spidey twirls, swirls, and slides all over the place. He can stick, crawl, and zip anywhere, and the lampposts are accessible again... hurrah! My favorite new addition to Spider-Man's movements is, probably, the motion that he does as he slides up a wall: Sliding upwards on his calves and leaping over a rooftop. He uses his webs to heave himself onto walls, throw himself over ledges, and maneuver about the city. If one were to watch this game, without playing it, I have no doubt that it would appear to be the most inherently "Spider-Man-ish."
The other thing I like about this game is the idea of Spider-Man taking on New York. I just enjoy being able to pummel anyone senseless. Sure, the symbiotes are getting old, but they're around in spades, here. And, what's more, there are plenty to keep you fighting.
Long story short, I'm not really disappointed in the game. I suppose, truthfully, that I'm more disappointed in Activision. They've found a cash-cow, and they're milking it as much as they like, throwing consistency and quality to the wayside just to get something "new and inventive" out on the market. Spider-Man: Web of Shadows is a good experience, and, as a Spidey fan, I've enjoyed every second of it, but it's still barely scratched the surface of both the success of Spider-Man 2 and the potential of Spider-Man as a character and vehicle for storytelling.
Just my $0.02.
t: even though I didn't know what Critical Mass was that was a guess.
(Well, it shouldn't, but fighting is excellent. I don't have problems doing it frequently.) Swinging is best of all Spidey games so far, and you really feel like Spider-Man. Boss-battles are very good, and I especially enjoyed Wolverine fight. I can't BTW compare black suit or red suit. I'm only using red in the game. (I like being good, it makes me happy.) 
