History YMMV / ShadowTheHedgehog

** Eggman revealing [[spoiler:that he rescued Shadow after the events of ''Adventure 2'']] can come off as this because triggering the associated dialogue requires the player to wait over ''nine'' damn minutes during the FinalBoss fight (which can be reasonably won in half that time), making it an easily overlooked plot point. And the "Why?" and "How?" regarding the whole thing is never elaborated further, especially given [[spoiler:that Shadow clearly fell towards the atmosphere while Eggman was with everyone on the ARK]].
** The plot point that the G.U.N. Commander was a childhood friend of Maria reeks of this, since it essentially renders the whole concept of the character illogical considering that he, for some inexplicable reason, blames Shadow for what happened to Maria instead of ''the group that murdered her and which he is now the leader of'', [[UnintentionallyUnsympathetic which can make him look insanely petty and irrational]]. It also doesn't help that this development is only revealed if Shadow takes a specific level route, meaning his relationship with Maria can come entirely out of nowhere if you get to fight him at the end through an alternate path.

** For particular moments regarding Shadow, there are his infamous "[[AvoidTheDreadedGRating Where's that DAMN fourth Chaos Emerald?]]" and "[[PokeThePoodle This is like taking candy from a baby, which is fine by me!]]" lines, both of which come off as absurdly try-hard and have likely massively contributed to the character's modern perception as a laughable edgelord among the general gaming landscape through the [[MemeticMutation proliferation of GIFs, videos and screenshots]] depicting said moments without context (not that it makes any sense in context either).

** For a non-Shadow example, there's Vector and his infamous "Find the Computer Room!" Considering how Vector tends to be a minor character in other ''Sonic'' games and thus doesn't have much screentime to showcase more of his personality, many would think he's just some computer-obsessed crocodilian.

** The G.U.N. Commander has his fair share of people spiting his existence as well due to being very UnintentionallyUnsympathetic to some. A younger brother figure to Maria, he's so heartbroken by her death fifty years ago that he blames Shadow for everything that happened aboard the ARK, [[{{Hypocrite}} before rising to take leadership of the very same faction that caused it]], and abusing his authority to try to have Shadow killed on-sight with no inclination that he's there for reform. And all we see him get is a HeelRealization when he realizes Shadow wasn't truly at fault.

** The G.U.N. Commander has his fair share of people spiting his existence as well due to being very UnintentionallyUnsympathetic to some. A younger brother figure to Maria, he's so heartbroken by her death fifty years ago that he blames Shadow for everything that happened aboard the ARK, [[{{Hypocrite}} before rising to take leadership of the very same faction that caused it]], and abusing his authority to try to have Shadow killed on-sight with no inclination that he's there for reform. And [[KarmaHoudini all we see him get]] is a HeelRealization when he realizes Shadow wasn't truly at fault.

** The plot point that the G.U.N. Commander was a childhood friend of Maria reeks of this, since it essentially renders the whole concept of the character illogical considering that he, for some inexplicable reason, blames Shadow for what happened to Maria instead of ''the group that murdered her and which he is now the leader of'', [[UnintentionallyUnsympathetic making him look insanely petty and irrational]]. It also doesn't help that this development is only revealed if Shadow takes a specific level route, meaning his relationship with Maria can come entirely out of nowhere if you get to fight him at the end through an alternate path.

** The G.U.N. Commander has his fair share of people spiting his existence as well due to being very UnintentionallyUnsympathetic to some. A younger brother figure to Maria, he's so heartbroken by her death fifty years ago that he blames Shadow for everything that happened aboard the ARK, [[{{Hypocrite}} before rising to take leadership of the very same faction that caused it]], and abusing his authority to try to have Shadow killed on-sight with no inclination that he's there for reform. And [[KarmaHoudini all he gets]] is a HeelRealization when he realizes Shadow wasn't truly at fault.

** The fact that there is no way to end up truly siding with Eggman. The game gives you the option of siding with the boring alien-out-of-nowhere, Black Doom, or with G.U.N., Sonic, and his friends. There are even individual levels where one of the mission choices is to side with Eggman. But there is no ending where Shadow actually declares his loyalty to Eggman; the ending of Lava Shelter where, ''by your own choice'', you decide to follow Eggman turns out to be a big fat lie as Shadow suddenly turns around and proclaims that [[spoiler:he's going to use the Chaos Emeralds to destroy him]]. When you consider that Eggman is Dr. Gerald Robotnik's grandson and Maria Robotnik's cousin, you'd think he'd be an obvious option for Shadow to go to for answers and Eggman giving them if Shadow helps him. Instead, the game has the Shadow Android subplot that turns out to be based on a lie. It's a massive disappointment for those [[RootingForTheEmpire Rooting for the Eggman Empire]].

** The G.U.N. Commander has his fair share of people spiting his existence as well due to being very UnintentionallyUnsympathetic. A younger brother figure to Maria, he's so heartbroken by her death fifty years ago that he blames Shadow for everything that happened aboard the ARK, [[{{Hypocrite}} before rising to take leadership of the very same faction that caused it]], and abusing his authority to try to have Shadow killed on-sight with no inclination that he's there for reform. And [[KarmaHoudini all he gets]] is a HeelRealization when he realizes Shadow wasn't truly at fault.

** Eggman revealing that [[spoiler:that he rescued Shadow after the events of ''Adventure 2'']] can come off as this because triggering the associated dialogue requires the player to wait over ''nine'' damn minutes during the FinalBoss fight (which can be reasonably won in half that time), making it an easily overlooked plot point. And the "Why?" and "How?" regarding the whole thing is never elaborated further, especially given [[spoiler:that Shadow clearly fell towards the atmosphere while Eggman was with everyone on the ARK]].

* BaseBreakingCharacter: The base was already pretty broken over if Shadow's return in ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'' was a good thing or not, and this game did nothing but add fuel to that fire. In fact, this game cemented Shadow as ''the'' most divisive character in the series, bar none. To this day, fans are split on whether he is still a good character who's just been the victim of overexposure and bad writing, or a glorified SpotlightStealingSquad who should have died after his debut and does not fit with the whimsical nature of the series.

** Mad Matrix. The level itself isn't badly designed or anything of the sort, it's fun to go through the four towers for the Hero mission. The main problem though is the Dark mission, which is easily the worst Dark mission in the game. Tou have to detonate thirty bombs on the light-speed circuit on a web-like maze to complete the mission, this task is extremely tedious as it usually takes you about nine plus minutes to complete it due to how many bombs you need to blow up. Worst of all, you'll need to play this mission ''thirty'' times to get all the library sequences.

* Fanon: Some fans believe that the "robot" that saved Shadow after he fell at the end of ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' (which is revealed by Dr. Eggman if you wait nine minutes into the final boss fight) was none other than Metal Sonic, who did so in order to copy his data in ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes''.

*** The Semi-Dark - Hero Ending has him declare to Eggman "No one can tell me what to do" like a petulant teenager angry at his dad (the other Eggman endings have him either embrace his apparent identity as an Android or demand that he leave and not defile the sacred ARK of which he's declared himself protector).

** Shadow's implied RoboticReveal towards the end of ''Heroes'' would have made things even more interesting... But it's only even really mentioned in the last two of the Neutral route levels, and thus the two endings where Shadow accepts this as fact are two of the absolute least canon, even when taking the game's story before the OmegaEnding as BroadStrokes. Instead, we just have to accept that Shadow had an UnexplainedRecovery after ''Adventure 2''. At least they do cover that Shadow was rescued by Eggman as he fell, so at least it isn't LeftHanging, but only if you wait 9 minutes into the final boss, as it's never brought up in any actual cutscenes.
** The fact that there is no way to end up truly siding with Eggman. The game gives you the option of siding with the boring alien-out-of-nowhere, Black Doom, or with G.U.N., Sonic, and his friends. There are even individual levels where one of the mission choices is to side with Eggman. But there is no ending where Shadow actually declares his loyalty to Eggman; the ending of Lava Shelter where, ''by your own choice'', you decide to follow Eggman turns out to be a big fat lie as Shadow suddenly turns around and proclaims that he's going to use the Chaos Emeralds to destroy him. When you consider that Eggman is Dr. Gerald Robotnik's grandson and Maria Robotnik's cousin, you'd think he'd be an obvious option for Shadow to go to for answers and Eggman giving them if Shadow helps him. Instead, the game has the Shadow Android subplot that turns out to be based on a lie. It's a massive disappointment for those [[RootingForTheEmpire Rooting for the Eggman Empire]].

* UncertainAudience: The intent behind the game was to appeal to the crowd into games like ''Franchise/{{Halo}}'' and ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' with the more demonic looking Black Arms and morally ambiguous human antagonists while not alienating the main ''Sonic'' crowd by including more cheesy, lighthearted moments alongside the usual cartoonish-designed cast. In practice, fans into darker games felt the game was too hamstrung by its family-friendly roots while established ''Sonic'' fans felt the darkness went too far and/or came off as over-the-top in a juvenile way.

** Eggman revealing that [[spoiler:that he rescued Shadow after the events of ''Adventure 2'']] can come off as this because triggering the associated dialogue requires the player to wait over nine damn minutes during the FinalBoss fight (which can be reasonably won in half that time), making it an easily overlooked plot point. And the "Why?" and "How?" regarding the whole thing is never elaborated further, especially given [[spoiler:that Shadow clearly fell towards the atmosphere while Eggman was with everyone on the ARK]].

** Mad Matrix. The level itself isn't badly designed or anything of the sort, it's fun to go through the four towers for the Hero mission. The main problem though is the Dark mission, you have to detonate thirty bombs on the light-speed circuit on a web-like maze to complete the mission. This task is extremely tedious as it usually takes you about nine plus minutes to complete it due to how many bombs you need to blow up. Worst of all, you'll need to play this mission ''thirty'' times to get all the library sequences.

** Central City. Take the bland visuals of Westopolis, add the maze-like elements of The Doom and Lost Impact with the same issue of repetitive confusing visuals, no goal ring (so no Neutral mission to speed through), and [[TimedMission an 8-minute time limit]].

** In the Last Story, Black Doom's explanation for needing the Chaos Emeralds differs between the Japanese and English versions. In the original Japanese version, Black Doom explains [[spoiler:that because the Black Comet is a cyclic comet it would never cross paths with the Earth's atmosphere. This can lead to confusion given the game also implies that the Black Comet is closer in structure to a biomechanical spaceship than an actual comet, assuming the player even knows what a "cyclic comet" is]], Given this was already an exposition-heavy scene, the English dub simplifies the explanation to [[spoiler:the Black Comet not being fast enough to penetrate Earth's atmosphere, thus necessitating the use of Chaos Control]].

** In the Last Story, Black Doom's explanation for needing the Chaos Emeralds differs between the Japanese and English versions. In the original Japanese version, Black Doom explains [[spoiler:that because the Black Comet is a cyclic comet it would never cross paths with the Earth's atmosphere. This can lead to confusion given the game also implies that the Black Comet is closer in structure to a biomechanical spaceship than an actual comet, assuming the player even knows what a "cyclic comet" is]], Given this was already an exposition-heavy scene, the English dub simplifies the explanation to [[spoiler:the Black Comet not being fast enough to penetrate Earth's atmosphere, thus necessitating the use of Chaos Control]].

** ''This'' was the game to introduce skydiving mechanics, not ''VideoGame/SonicUnleashed''. This is also the first game to involve parkour-esque wall-running mechanics as an expansion on the [[VideoGame/SonicHeroes Triangle Jump]], not ''VideoGame/SonicLostWorld''. It also features a [[VideoGame/SonicUnleashed Boost]], although in a different form, and you can only use it if you go the Hero path. For bonus points, ''[=SHtH=]'' was released in North America one day before ''VideoGame/{{Sonic Rush|Series}}'', which also featured a Boost mechanic. [[note]]The two games were released on the same day in the PAL region, while Japan received ''Rush'' several weeks before ''Shadow''.[[/note]]

** One particular moment is in the [[http://fat.gfycat.com/OldUnfitGalapagosalbatross.gif in-game intro]], where Shadow does a DramaticGunCock with an SMG... by [[GunsDoNotWorkThatWay pumping it like a shotgun]]. As in he cocks the SMG's ''fixed handguard'' on the frontal barrel of the gun rather than the cocking handle.

* WTHCastingAgency:
** While most of the Creator/FourKidsEntertainment voice cast switchover was (and, for some, still is) heavily divisive, Vector's actor going from Marc Biagi (who voiced him in ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'') to Creator/JimmyZoppi was heavily criticized for sounding nothing like Vector's portrayal in ''Heroes''. While Biagi played the character with a deep authoritative tone which still sounds comedic, Zoppi's take is much more high-pitched and goofy, which many have criticized as being incredibly {{Narm}}y and unfitting for the character. What's especially baffling is Zoppi had previously shown the ability to replicate Biagi's take on the character in Season 2 of ''Anime/SonicX''. Though with time (and memes) [[VindicatedByHistory people would look back on Zoppi's take with more affection]].
** Perhaps the most criticized cast change was Rouge going from Creator/LaniMinella to Kathleen Delaney. While Minella's voice fit the overconfident young adult that was Rouge, Delany's take sounds closer to a woman in her 40s or 50s trying to sound seductive. When the voice cast changed again in 2010 with the release of ''VideoGame/SonicFreeRiders'', very few were upset about Rouge's recasting.

** When you make a selection in any of the game's menus, ''a sound effect of a gun firing plays''. Nothing says "trying too hard to be DarkerAndEdgier" like that.

* {{Misblamed}}: Fans often cite the English voice cast getting replaced by the cast from the English Dub of ''Anime/SonicX'' as being a consequence of Deem Bristow's death in January 2005. Fans claim Sega of America wanted Creator/MikePollock to take over the role of Dr. Eggman following Deem Bristow's death, but complications regarding Pollock's contract with Creator/FourKidsEntertainment made it easier for Sega to recruit the entire ''Sonic X'' cast, instead of just Pollock. [[https://info.sonicretro.org/Shadow_the_Hedgehog_(game)/Development In reality, Sega of Japan wanted America to have a consistent cast between the games and anime as was the case in Japan]], with [[ExecutiveMeddling this order]] being made prior to Deem Bristow's death.

** [[spoiler:''Aliens'' having a hand in Shadow's creation]]. There were, at most, ''two'' hints of this in previous games. The first was some BlindIdiotTranslation that reads like a misplaced headline [[spoiler:used as a warning text at the rim of the pit where Eggman first found Shadow in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' -- "ASTRONOMERS ARE CONCLUDING THAT 'MONSTROUSBLACKS" (''sic'')[[note]]Googling this phrase suggests that the text was also simply lifted from [[https://hubblesite.org/contents/news-releases/2000/news-2000-22.html a 2000 article about black holes]][[/note]].]] The second, coming from ''VideoGame/SonicHeroes'', is seemingly throwaway idle dialogue from Omega [[spoiler: in Frog Forest following the Egg Albatross battle and the initial suggestion that [[AmbiguousSituation Shadow might be a robotic duplicate]] ("Shadow, that android must be an alien. Unable to analyze"), and the fact that one would have to deliberately stand still to hear it means many players completely missed it. As such, it can be argued that at ''no'' point was this meaningfully foreshadowed.]] On top of that, there are shaky justifications to try and shoehorn it into the backstory, and the reveal [[PlotHole directly contradicts a few plot points already established]].
** Eggman revealing [[spoiler:that he rescued Shadow after the events of ''Adventure 2'' can come off as this,]] because triggering the associated dialogue requires the player to wait over nine damn minutes during the FinalBoss fight (which can be reasonably won in half that time), making it an easily overlooked plot point. And the "Why?" and "How?" regarding the whole thing is never elaborated further, especially given [[spoiler:that Shadow clearly fell towards the atmosphere while Eggman was with everyone on the ARK.]]
** The plot point that the G.U.N Commander was a childhood friend of Maria reeks of this, since it essentially renders the whole concept of the character illogical considering that he, for some inexplicable reason, blames Shadow for what happened to Maria instead of ''the group that murdered her and which he is now the leader of'', [[UnintentionallyUnsympathetic making him look insanely petty and irrational]]. It also doesn't help that this development is only revealed if Shadow takes a specific level route, meaning his relationship with Maria can come entirely out of nowhere if you get to fight him at the end through an alternate path.

* CompleteMonster: [[NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist Black Doom]] is the leader of the [[AliensAreBastards Black Arms]] and a completely humorless EvilutionaryBiologist. Having visited the Earth for thousands of years, he [[VideoGame/SonicAdventure2 made contact with Gerald Robotnik]] 50 years prior to the series, agreeing to a deal where a creation using Black Doom's cells, the future Shadow the Hedgehog, would deliver the Chaos Emeralds so that the Black Arms can use Chaos Control to arrive on Earth and bring prosperity to humanity. Gerald realized once Doom left that he was lied to, as Black Doom intended to enslave the human race and use them as a [[ToServeMan food source]]. During the events of the game, he preaches about the [[KnightTemplar evils of humanity]] and how they don't deserve to be free, claiming they would be better served as a food source for the Black Arms, all while showing he has no regrets killing his own men or [[YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness throwing away his "son" when everything is finished]]. During the game, he sends his army to kill millions, manipulated Shadow by forcing him to relive Maria's death, destroys an entire city--and most of his army--with the Eclipse Cannon, and spreads a gas that paralyzes Sonic and friends to make it easier for his offspring to eat them. [[{{Hypocrite}} Hypocritical]], ruthless and uncaring to even his own, Black Doom is among the worst the franchise has to offer.

* FanonDiscontinuity: Among many other reasons, fans of ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure2'' tend to pretend this game doesn't exist; if not because what it did to Shadow as a character, then because of what it did to his rather clear-cut backstory from ''Adventure 2'', which, besides making it overly complicated, it also included adding ''aliens'' to his creation.

** EnemyChatter will have a G.U.N soldier occasionally say [[Creator/YujiNaka "Mr. Yuji Naka]] is alright!", this game would be Yuji Naka's final time working on Sonic, with his departure crippling the development of [[VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog2006 the next mainline game]]. Furthermore, [[VideoGame/IvyTheKiwi Naka's]] [[VideoGame/RodeaTheSkySoldier post-Sonic]] [[VideoGame/BalanWonderworld efforts]] have had mixed-to-negative reception, combine this with his arrest in 2022 for insider trading, shows Naka certainly isn't "alright" anymore.

** This game would see a Video Game franchise whose English Dub began in the late 90s being replaced with a dub done by Creator/FourKidsEntertainment. Just one year later, the opposite situation would occur with ''Anime/PokemonTheSeries''. For added hilarity, the [[Anime/PokemonLucarioAndTheMysteryOfMew the final Pokémon production done by 4Kids]] would also feature Creator/SeanSchemmel, but this time in a major '''heroic''' role.

** Less than a year later, Schemmel would use his Black Doom voice (with basically no changes whatsoever) to portray another sinister alien: Sh'Okanabo in the ''Fast Forward'' season of the ''WesternAnimation/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles2003'' cartoon. Bonus points: Like Black Doom's "day of reckoning", Sh'Okanobo has a "Day of Awakening" as his MO.

** For some reason, activating a database in Mad Matrix produce a strange, yet soothing sound.

** Perhaps the most criticized cast change was Rouge going from Creator/LaniMinella to Kathleen Delaney. While Minella's voice fit the overconfident Young Adult that was Rouge, Delany's take sounds closer to a woman in her 40s or 50s trying to sound seductive. When the voice cast changed again in 2010 with the release of ''VideoGame/SonicFreeRiders'', very few were upset about Rouge's recasting.

** In the Last Story, Black Doom's explanation for needing the Chaos Emeralds differs between the Japanese and English versions. In the original Japanese Version, Black Doom explains [[spoiler:that because The Black Comet is a cyclic comet it would never cross paths with the Earth's atmosphere. This can lead to confusion given the game also implies that the Black Comet is closer in structure to a biomechanical spaceship than an actual comet, assuming the player even knows what a "cyclic comet" is.]] Given this was already an exposition-heavy scene the English Dub simplifies the explanation to [[spoiler: The Black Comet not being fast enough to penetrate Earth's atmosphere, thus necessitating the use of Chaos Control]].

* CriticProof: The game was weirdly successful and catapulted Shadow to becoming one of the most popular characters in gaming according to Guinness Records. You wouldn't know this from fan or critical reception.

* FanDislikedExplanation: The Black Arms' involvement in [[spoiler:Shadow's creation]] is viewed with [[FanonDiscontinuity deliberate ignorance]] at best due to it being little more than [[spoiler:a poorly thought-out plot point to justify a connection between Black Doom and Shadow.]] One of the more hated consequences of their additionto [[spoiler:Shadow's backstory is the implication that G.U.N. raided the ARK due to their collaboration instead of pure impatience,]] painting G.U.N. as a more righteous government rather than the morally ambiguous military force they were portrayed as in ''Adventure 2''.