Shadow the Hedgehog Review

Rank @ End

Summary

Edgy!

Gameplay and Level Design

The gameplay is pretty good. It's got the speed of a Sonic game mixed with other elements. The guns are easy to adjust to, and there are many types. Sometimes choosing the right weapon means the difference between a A and C Rank (Hint: choose an Alien Weapon over a GUN one, even if it doesn't have as much ammo--it packs a better punch). The vehicles are more disappointing. The cars/cycle are fair, and the hovercraft would be okay if it were a bit faster. But the odd "jumping" and shooting ones are a invitation for disaster. Chaos Control and Blast are awesome for giving invincibility and unlimited ammo alone, but are even better considering their abilities. 

The missions could be a hard/easy, and it really depends on each specific one. As a whole I think it was a good idea because they are technically optional and fit into the plot so that they are not as random/forced as missions in, say, the Secret Rings. 

I like the visible designs. There are a lot of distressed scenes and spins on familiar locations. The maze that is the level layout, however...for most it's manageable, but Mad Matrix, The Doom, and some others are hard to navigate. Having 80% of the path covered in toxic waste in levels like Prison Island wasn't the best plan, either.    

Story and Characters

The main idea of an alien invasion makes for an action-driven plot. Unfortunately Black Doom lacked "Mephiles" level creepiness. I think having a "lacky" or even treating Doom's Eye as a different character would have helped keep the leader more of a mystery (instead of a demanding son of a bXXXX). Except for being tied to a "promise" that he knows nothing about, Shadow does not have a good reason to side with the Black Arms. 

Adding some "behind the scenes" with GUN and the President may have been an attempt to mature things. It would be fine, if not for the constant 2 cutscenes that ALWAYS play after Westopolis. I like the GUN Commander because it explains GUN's overzealous behavior in SA2. Sir, the hedgehog we caught just escaped from one of our helicopters because we wouldn't give him pizza. A HEDEGHOG?! MOBLIZE THE TRUCK, NOOOOW! But sir, that Truck will crush the cars parked-- I GAVE YOU AN ORDER SOLIDER! Yes sir!    

The flashbacks proved interesting, but considering all of the talk about the past and it's importance, I kinda' wish there was more of it. It feels like more time is spent with Shadow thinking he is an android than with Maria's death or promise. 

Overall, I think the different paths was a smart move, but it makes it hard to tell what's "canon." I wish one of the endings would have been the "true" events (the neutral-hero one, maybe?). The last story is a bit long to watch, and I'm not sure if it's worth it. The Black Doom reveal is cliche, and I almost wish the villain had explained so at the beginning to confuse Shadow then. The video with Gerald and Maria was the best part of Last Story, plot-wise. After Shadow's huge quest to "find the truth," he decides to throw it all away? I like it in retrospect, but at first I really didn't like how he tossed Maria's photo.    

I liked that the supporting cast was either able to help, or could be ignored. There is a large cast and it's cool to see Shadow bond with characters he wasn't really seen with before like Knuckles and Espio. Still, story-wise Rouge's character is underused. At least Omega got a role in the android plots. She's there for the fight with Doom in the dark end, but not in the cutscene? What's with that? And I think she would have fit in the neutral-hero end better than Vector. 

Music and Voice Acting

The tracks really fit the situation. Central City and Westopolis are intense. Lost Impact is slower and more mysterious. More of a electronic vibe is used for the levels that take place in the digital dimension. The entire game does not have the same diversity in genres as a traditional Sonic game, but while being mostly edgy-rock and guitar-heavy, it's awesome. The vocal tracks, including the likes of "I am All of Me" and "Never Turn Back," are possibly some of the best in the series ("Chosen One" is particularly fitting), though it's a shame some of them had to be "lost." Sadly that resulted in the neutral-dark path not really having its own theme.

This game (along with Rush) was the first to feature the 4kids cast. I'd say it was a move for the better...but I can see why people were upset. Jason Griffith's Shadow voice is perfect, but his Sonic voice here is a bit odd. Instead of saying "Yo!," for example, it's a drawn out "Y-ho!" Rebecca Honig (usually Cream) voiced Maria in this game differently than she did in Sonic X. It's not bad, but I'm not sure if it was better than her voice in SA2. Some characters like Tails are louder/annoying while others like Cream are hard to hear. It wasn't their best, but generally the cast did alright.   

   

Visuals and Graphics

I liked the grungy menu, but by the time I got to the fire in Shadow's eyes I felt like it was too far. CG cutcenes look good, but why did they waste time on the Eclipse Cannon scene? I don't care if it's an Independence Day reference, "real" Maria's deserved that quality. 

The graphics aren't good. The designs are cool but the execution is clunky and looks like garbage.  

Final Thoughts

• This game is misportrayed as overly violent and edgy to the point of cheese. They overdramatized things especially in the intro and with the box art, I'll give them that. But the guns aren't realistic in the slightest, and are quite an improvement from Gamma/Tails/Eggman's weapons. 
• Oh, and the "assassinate the President" mission was shooting a plane that will survive if the mission is completed or not.
• I did not mind Shadow swearing. I found "damn, not here," relatable. But it was a bad idea for the other characters (Sonic, Knuckles, Espio) because it seems unnatural (especially Sonic). 
• I kinda's wish the game HAD been rated Teen, just so people would not XXXXX about it. 
• It's pretty hypocritical, too, because fans will say the guns and swearing were mistakes and than rant about the dub of Sonic X censoring swearing, alcohol, and death.   
• Though it wasn't seen as a good move at the time, I like the 4kids cast a lot. They'd get better more in the 2007 range. 
• I get why fans were upset with what happened, in particular with Ryan Drummond (who wasn't even informed of the change!). But even though Griffith's Sonic was different, it was still that "Sonic-type" of voice that Drummond, Jaleel White, and even the OVA guy seemed to have. The change to Roger Craig Smith's deeper, 2010-esque take on Sonic was so much more radical. 
• It was cool to have two sorta' warring factions fighting, but it'd be BETTER if they acknowledged the player. If you're helping GUN, do they have to shoot at you?! The Heal Canon can help, but really?!
• It was cool to see the different sides of Shadow. 
• Expert Mode is pretty cool and the instructions could be funny.
• Forget Heroes and Generations. This is Charmy's best game.  

 

Final Ranking: B

I gotta' say, I was on the fence between giving this a B and a C. I guess the replay value gives it the edge (no pun intended). 

An experimental game, Shadow the Hedgehog is not without its faults. It is fun, though. The plot was not perfect, but having aliens invade remains a better point, and the mission/plot structure isn't bad. I'd have to say the gameplay is pretty good for a modern game, and easier than many other shooter-games. Shadow had its own, "darker" theme and stuck to it, which I think is fair since it's a spin-off. Still, it's not gonna' work for people who look for more variety.    

ShtH is Better than Heroes (Conclusion)

I like Sonic Heroes. It's a good character driven game and introduced some fascinating concepts. Unfortunately while it easily snags the title of "fan-favorite," Shadow the Hedgehog is teased. 

Heores was good, but it was not without it's flaws. ShtH had it's own problems, but overall it was a better game than Heroes: 

• Part 1--Attitude
• Part 2--Gameplay
• Part 3--Conflict
• Part 4--Scoring
• Part 5--Music
• Part 6--Levels
• Part 7--2-player
• Part 8--Main Character
• Part 9--Missions
• Part 10--Replay

Shadow was more experimental. It was character driven, but in a different way. Instead of focusing on the power of team work, its themes expanded to identity, revenge vs justice, and right vs wrong. 

Best way to use a keyboard.

I don't think ShtH was perfect, but it does not deserve to be treated like a big joke. They went overboard with the "edgy" qualities and over-dramatized the guns. No one complained about the GUNS in Sonic Forces because they were unrealistic and called a silly name (Wispon). The guns in ShtH were not realistic in the slightest: oversized, alien, and...whatever the heck the Omachao gun is. They were fun and helped differ the game from a typical Sonic one (though as a reminder, Gamma!). The game is not nearly as over-the-top as the intro.  

HUGE, CARTOONISH GUN

Between the two, there were many parts I felt tied. Graphics are practically the same. The plot varies--while the end twist was better in Heroes I'm not sure that applies to the whole game (a letter from Eggman saying he's taking over the world, seriously? Alien invasion was an epic way to start in comparison). Voice Acting also varied--for many of the original cast Heroes was their best game and for the 4kids ShtH was maybe their worst. However Charmy's voice in ShtH was still better than his original voice, and the same could be said about many other characters. Most notably with Shadow...David Humphrey was great, but Jason Griffith immediately matched the character perfect. Ryan Drummond was doing his best take on Sonic at that point, though. So those were all debatable points that I felt neither "won."

  

Shadow the Hedgehog still beat Heroes in many other categories, with replay value being the most notable. Again, while I don't hate Heroes, I don't think it quite deserves the credit it gets. Meanwhile ShtH deserves a lot more. 

A step farther: Shadow the Hedgehog deserves a sequel. Tails and Knuckles are good characters but to have them go solo would be out of character nowadays. Silver's backstory(s) are too unclear. I'd like to see a Blaze spin-off maybe the most, but she lacks the popularity and is not as easily recognized. 

Shadow can go off on his own, has clear origins, and is "the 2nd most popular character in the canon." Sonic 06 improved from Shadow the Hedgehog, and Forces showed there's still a chance for the character. If he were to star in his own title they could fix their mistakes while keeping what made the game fun. Unfortunately, Sega no longer takes risks, and a spin-off starring another character, Shadow or otherwise, WILL NEVER HAPPEN. We can hope for another "episode/story," though...     

ShtH is Better Than Heroes (Part 10)

REPLAY

Sonic Heroes tried to do some small things to keep it playable past the story, but it was easy to immediately loose interest. Shadow's unique style guaranteed a difference, though. 

Heroes

A lot of Heroes' extra features come at the cost of emblems or A-Ranks, which are not easy to get. As covered last post, the missions are another alternative option, but there's no real motivation to play them. 

With the different teams and emeralds, finishing the game is a bit more challenging than others. Still, once it's done it's not quite the same. While a fan of the levels and characters will want to return, the complex gameplay elements (fly, make a wind tornado, etc), missions (Chaotix), and length (levels) make it have less appeal. 

Shadow

Shadow's story and mission layout create endless possibilities over 300 combinations. The paths lead to the same six choices, yet the shape of that path can be changed with ease. 

The locations have their challenges, but they aren't forced, either, since the missions are technically optional. There is a large amount of characters, but you don't see them all at once like Heroes. One could play an entire storyline without encountering Rouge, or another without encountering Tails. The only constant characters are Sonic and Black Doom since they both appear in the first level. The simple controls also aid this game in comparison to Heroes. 

Also, since the game has a fast start (alien invasion!) it's easier to return to than Heroes' slower, drawn-out plot. Seeing Shadow's different personalities and actions (such as sparing or eliminating Eggman) is an added bonus. 

Outside of the story, A-Ranks are more realistic and so is expert mode, giving gamers more to do.     

So...

Shadow the Hedgehog has a longer lasting effect than Heroes, or most other Sonic games. 

In the "classic" days level design and different pathways helped keep the game fresh. The transitional era had interesting locations but mainly only one way to go. Shadow used its missions, characters, and story to solve this problem. 

SthH is better than Heroes (Part 9)

Part 9: Missions

Shadow the Hedgehog and Sonic Heroes has some similar ideas, but executed them differently. 

In Heroes, most of the teams simply had to make it to the goal in time, but Team Chaotix was cursed with a different outcome: doing random errands for their client. Eggman fully deserved the beating Charmy gave him.

In most of these levels the team would have to collect, interact with, or destroy something. For example, in Mystic Mansion they have to blow out all of the red torches. While the idea of exploration was nice for Knuckles and Rouge in the Adventure series, those two had different gameplay and an area designed differently to take advantage of that. 

Of course Seaside Hill for Chaotix is the same for them as with any other group...except they have to collect crabs! 

While the challenge kept them unique, some stages were better than others.

Additionally each level has an alternate goal for each team. Team Sonic, for example, has to complete the stage in a given time. They aren't very fun and seem tiresome. Except for emblems and A-ranks, there's not a real reason to work on them. 

Things are different in Shadow the Hedgehog. The missions are always optional, though they have to be completed in order to get any ending other than the pure neutral ones. Almost every stage therefore has the possibility to simply get to the goal in time.  

While similar to the Chaotix's style, there is more variety. Sometimes Shadow has to destroy a certain amount of enemies, or in other cases he has to take out a large tank or blimp. Similar to "Find the Lost Chao," Amy asks him to find Cream and then Cheese. Eggman asks Shadow to activate defense systems for him while Maria wants to help injured researchers in The Doom. There are more options and they fit the plot. They don't seem as random or demeaning. 

It also makes for good contrast, like in Central City where he has to either activate or sweep up bombs.  

Not all of them are easy. Both Black Doom and Espio expect a lot in Mad Matrix, and let's not forget finding the computer room with Vector. Still, it's balanced out by other stages. In the Ark Shadow can either shoot down the space colony's defenses or ride a Black Arms bird-thing around. Tails asks for help collecting rings in a stage where ringing a bell gives 50. 

Missions can be interesting and can reflect how well a player knows the game. However I'm a fan of options rather than requirements, and that makes ShtH the batter choice by far.    

ShtH is Better than Heroes (Part 8)

 Part 8: The Main Character

Sonic Heroes was a game that highlighted the benefits of trusting one another and teamwork while the less clear-cut Shadow the Hedgehog explored the trust's good and bad consequences. 

While Heroes did a great job with balancing the amount of characters fit into the game, Sonic himself was mostly just another Team leader. Shadow the Hedgehog, as the title suggests, was more focused on Shadow despite the inclusion of many other characters. 

The story for Team Hero is pretty simple. The rapport between Sonic, Knuckles, and Tails is the main attraction, perhaps highlighted best during the actual stages. In the story, though, there's little difference to make Sonic's role stand out. 

This is the first time he's taken his role-model position to the next level, actually leading Tails and Knuckles. Unfortunately the shift seems to go unnoticed. 

There is a moment of interest where Sonic admits he might not have made it to the end without Tails and Knuckles, but it's quickly replaced with in the Last Story with cheesy comments about the powers of team work and being "Sonic Heroes!"    

The Last Story was a great opportunity to contrast Sonic with his Metal double. That can be done with voice acting, appearance, and even "What I'm Made Of." But it's just not apart of the script or story. 

In Shadow the Hedgehog any path taken is about character development. Now, this game doesn't get too much weight for this because most of it is not CANON. Even if it's not all "real," it was still an important step forward.

In Heroes, Shadow worked with Omega and Rouge to track Eggman. Then he even suggested helping Team Hero in the ending. However, the game left many unresolved questions and used amnesia as an excuse to avoid them.  

The first cutscene establishes some important changes since Sonic Heroes. Mainly that he remembers a variation of Maria's death, but also that now (alone/no purpose) he's haunted and needs answers. Suspiciously Black Doom shows up at this exact moment and tells Shadow to go get the Chaos Emeralds.  

Shadow starts as neutral as possible. He's not aligned with a any character yet, not even Black Doom ("like it or not I have to believe him"). The reason he calls the humans pathetic is because his promise to Maria is lost in his head, replaced with GUN soldiers shooting her. He has no obligation to them--or hatred for them, at the start.

The game takes some unique twists, but mainly Shadow is good, bad, or neutral. 

• In "good" cutscenes Shadow doesn't like to admit weakness or friendship, but he shows respect where it's due. 
• The "neutral" cutscenes range from complete confidence to total depression. 
• The "bad" ones reveal that while Shadow can be loyal, he can also be a dangerous rebel. Either way he runs on ambition and a desire for revenge. 

The true end reveals a Shadow that's tired of being manipulated and just wants to move on. So he says goodbye to who ever he used to be and decides to "Never Turn Back." 

In Shadow the Hedgehog the supporting cast was the supporting cast. That was it. Sonic Heroes could have been Vector Heroes or Rouge Heroes or Amy Heroes because the attention was so divided. If it were a spin-off, it'd probably fine. But, again, it's a main game. In fellow multi-story main games like Sonic Adventure, Sonic Adventure 2, or even Sonic 06, Sonic seemed to get the last moment to reveal something about his own character, like running off instead of taking credit, like saying goodbye to his than-dead rival, or even carefully watching a hint of a another life drift away.  

More centric, Shadow the Hedgehog was about Shadow. It showed sides to the character never seen before and sometimes never seen again, all while aiming to reestablish Shadow's role.      

Best Villain (Part 7--Conclusion)

For me, the "best villain" is an obvious three-way tie.

Robotnik, for his continued perseverance. For having the deepest connection to Sonic and the franchise. His history. His hilarity. Nostalgia, too.

Mephiles, for being a threat like no other. For his creepy way of twisting the truth. For pitting characters against each other. His dark need to destroy...his actions in Shadow's story. 

And Merlina, for being understandable. For the plot twist. For being persuasive and relatable in comparison. Being kind at heart but on the outside sad, cold, malicious, and deadly.

Best Villain? Part 2: B Villains

Eggman aside, there have been more villains in the series than most causal fans realize. Some of these were interesting and give Eggy real competition. Others fall a little flat...

I define this type of villain as "Erazor Djinn level," so it seems only fair to start with him. 

The Erazor Djinn has the makings of a good foe. And he is threatening. He's powerful. He's already wiped out half of the "storybook" world as Sonic's jumping to the rescue. After hitting Sonic with a flaming arrow, he basically blackmails Sonic and his new friend Sharah into finding specail items ("World Rings"). 

Still, he is hard to take serious--even Sonic seems to think so. He's way overconfident and continues to call Sonic a "filthy rat." His insults, while humorous, are pathetic. While he does gain a considerable point of power near the end of the game the moment later backfires on the Erazor since he cannot even control his transformation.

The Erazor's end, while satisfying, only further pushes back on his credibility. It's only Sonic dumping the magic lamp into lava (in Sharah's epilogue) that solidifies how serious a threat the villain actually was.  

I KID YOU NOT.

Although the Erazor had the bite, he didn't have the bark, as silly as that sounds. The character was powerful, but strip away his actions and powers and he's nothing more than childish bully. 

Unfortunately the Erazor Djinn is not the only enemy to, despite potential, become lame and easily forgotten. 

Black Doom was an early example of this. His threatening voice and alien appearance fit well with the idea of the character, but his constant nagging and cruel behavior made him an oddity. There is not much of a reason for Shadow to side with Black Doom, and even if he does the alien leader does little to applaud such a thing.

Like the Erazor, Black Doom is strong and manipulates Shadow in different ways like planting false memories or concealing information. At the end of the day, though, he is hard to take seriously and more of a nuisance. 

This is also seen with the Deadly Six. I know less about them than most, but they do little to stand out and behave annoyingly. Zavok appears often in recent times, but is he's far worst than either Black Doom or Erazor Djinn. I don't know if they could get any lamer, and don't get me started on the magic conch...

Infinite is portrayed more as a rival, but unlike Shadow or Jet, he's clearly with Eggman and wants to be evil. His appearance is an odd mesh that may have been inspired by Kylo Ren (who was a wannabe himself). Not the best start. His voice acting is good, able to have an edge to it but also be calm and in control. Not unlike Mephiles. His epic theme song is reminiscent of rivals of the past, like Shadow. But in game he does not take control. 

He's content with working for Eggman; he doesn't even attempt to break away, leaving his motives a mystery. He bullies various characters and makes use of his flashy illusionary powers, but he is a complete coward. He RUNS AWAY. Instead of revealing a tragic, determined, or even greedy past, the cause of Infinte's path to the dark side is that he can't handle losing and doesn't like being called weak. He throws a tantrum. Over being called WEAK.   

"King Arthur" doesn't seem to have much of a personality or an emphasis on turning evil, but at least he's actually revealed as a simple pawn in the Dark Queen's plans. There are a few others, like IX, who also fail to step up.  

So even though I generally think of the Erazor first, there are many other candidates that are arguably more deserving of the title. Like with the games in general, Sega had grand plans that didn't quite work out right. 

Shth is better than Sonic Heroes (Part 3)

Problems create a story. If there is not threat, there is no story. Overall, there was more at stake in Shadow the Hedgehog than Sonic Heroes.  

Conflict

Main Villain and Side Villains

Though I'm not a huge fan of Metal Sonic, he makes a better villain. Metal Sonic is shown to be cunning, cruel, and clever. The unexpected twist--that Metal Sonic had overthrown his own creator--was one of the highlights of Sonic Heroes. With a new edgier look, he creepily wants to prove he is "the real Sonic."

Black Doom is an evil creature, constantly asking for destruction and showing no sign of compassion whatsoever. Still, Black Doom lacks something I can't quite figure out...or maybe it's just his constant nagging throughout the game...I'm not sure, but he's more along the "Erazor Djinn" level of villainy rather than the "Mephiles" level (he comes across as lame).

Though Eggman was perceived as the villain in Heroes, he really did nothing. Metal's "fake" version of Eggman is uninteresting. Not very threatening, even in all that armor.

Shadow the game also had Eggman in a more neutral position than usual (though he behind was many of the bosses). Still seemed like in Heroes...somehow hard to take serious in comparison to his Adventure or Genesis days.

In Shadow the Hedgehog, there was also the Commander. Though he is contradictory (and lacks a real name), I was content with his inclusion. It gave a different point of view and helped explain GUN's actions in SA2 (imagine: "sir, a hedgehog stole a Chaos Emerald." "A HEDGEHOG? DEPLOY THE TROOPS NOW!") 

Even though Black Doom isn't as good as Metal Sonic, the multiple villains helped Shadow the Hedgehog and it's many storylines.  

Enemies

Heroes relies many on Egg Pawns, which are kinda' boring in design. There are bigger robots with sleeker or bulkier designs, but none really stand out.

Shth also used the lackluster Egg pawns, but there were others to fight as well...

• I much prefer the  Black Arms--villainous aliens--to the useless wisps of Sonic Colors. They were threatening in appearance and I like the laser/ray-gun type of weapons they have. 
• GUN is a little annoying because they keep attacking even if there is no one there or if Shadow is "on their side." It was still interesting to see GUN actually use their men instead of robots for once (though they have plenty "Flying Mantis Dog Whatever" robots, too).

I would have liked it better with nicer graphics, but Shadow the Hedgehog has cooler enemies to fight. 

Main Conflicts

The situation in Shadow the game was huge from the start: an alien invasion. Though Shadow wanted to avoid getting involved, soon he was dropping right into the middle of it.

Heroes was divided into several smaller problems: Team Hero needed to stop Eggman, Team Rose wanted to find their missing friends, Team Chaotix was trying to please their client, and Team Dark wanted revenge on/answers from/treasure from Eggman. This was fun and light-hearted, but it doesn't have the immediate urgency of that massive attack on Earth. 

In the end the Teams must band together to stop "Neo" Metal Sonic, who was behind everything. This a nice reward for finding all of the Chaos Emeralds. However, I've always felt that the absence of Super Tails/Knuckles was very anti-climatic (they just get shinny bubbles?).

In Shadow the Hedgehog, Shadow has to stop Black Doom for once and for all. What gives the end an extra punch is Maria, who appears on an old video. Shadow's connection to Black Doom is also revealed--a little cliche, but it makes the situation all the more personal. This also gets points for redeeming Professor Gerald Robontik and revealing the true purpose behind the Eclipse Canon.

The trouble met in Sonic Heroes was not bad, but it didn't seem like the stakes were as high.   

Personal Conflicts

Shadow the Hedgehog out does Heroes by a far in this category. Using the different paths for different outcomes, the game was able to address the different conflicts Shadow has. He lost his memory and his purpose. The struggle between good and evil is a prevalent theme, as well as identity and the relevance of the past.

The Last Way tries to unite the stories and step up the game. By the end, everything literally is on Shadow's shoulders. To resolve the conflict, Shadow does what is right but decides the past is the past.

To it's credit, Heroes has some personal conflicts. For the most part it's about getting along with each other. But Team Dark's story took it a step further when it showed that the "Shadow might be a robot" plot affected the entire team. Still, it's weaker compared to Shadow the Hedgehog.

"The original must exist somewhere."

The Maria Mystery: Appearance

When it comes to Maria Robotnik, questions have been left unanswered...

One of the mysteries if the most obvious, her visual look.

Appearances

Maria originated in Sonic Adventure 2, where she, a blond 12 year-old, looked similar Alice from Alice in Wonderland.

When the game was released as SA2 Battle, on Gamecube, there were some slight differences...

Maria's first look in the Archie comics was WAY off. Having brown hair and a white dress, she hardly looked like the same person.

Maria in Sonic X would be closer to the original, being nearly identical. The only main difference is the addition of shoes...SA2 Maria was barefoot.

In one of her last appearances on the show, she was also shown wearing a pink dress.

Shadow the Hedgehog's first cutscene showed some differences a returning fan might have noticed. Her dress was slightly different--no long sleeves--and her hair was shorter. She looked younger, blonder, (and thanks to more advanced technology) more realistic (not to the same point as humans in 06, though).

For a moment her hair looks longer for some reason...

Just thought that was weird.

However, in other parts of the game, her hair is it's SA2 length. Also (like in Sonic X) she now has shoes.

The Archie comics would later correct their mistake and retcon Maria's real look in. Although the style varied by artist, she looked much closer to the games.

"nearly identical to her game counterpart"

Conclusion

So what does this mean? That Maria doesn't look the same.

That's not saying much. This is a video game, and appearances change all the time (just look at Sonic). And appearing in "other media" will naturally lead to differences. I assume "brown haired" Maria was a coloring error.

But what of (at least some of this) is on purpose?

The main oddity is the Shadow the Hedgehog cutscene...Was it simply a background, in-the-real-world decision to update her look? Or was were the creators hinting that Shadow's memory was tampered with? Considering Black Doom's role and personality, the evil alien would have no trouble fooling Shadow into doing his work.

Whether a last minute change, or to cause more questions, the inconsistency remains strange.

WHAT IS THAT SHOE?!