[edit: I must have been composing this gem as the one above by sincos was being posted.... great minds, etc...]
Buy the shoes that fit you. I know it can be valuable to get some leads, but like saddles, what other people like in shoes is almost irrelevant. You need to find the ones your foot likes best. You either have to just make the rounds of your local shops and try on the shoes in your price range and choose the one you like best, or buy several pair online and return the ones you don't like. There's soooo many great quality shoes out there, it's almost impossible to go wrong if you concentrate on fit rather than popularity, others' recommendations, or style.
The good thing is that most mid-priced and above MTB shoes will have good solid soles and quality uppers that should serve you well as far as riding goes - again, as long as they fit properly. The more expensive ones might be lighter maybe stiffer (which may or may not be meaningful for your use) and have more sophisticated closures.