The Hi-Speed Shoes[1] are objects that appear in the Sonic the Hedgehog series. They are special shoes which Sonic the Hedgehog wore during the Space Colony ARK incident.[2]

Contents show]

Concept and creation

The Hi-Speed Shoes are based on a custom version of the Scorcher/Nitro shoe from Soap (while Shadow wore hybrid jet hoverskate/grind shoes), as grinding (or "soaping") debuted as an important new gameplay element in Sonic Adventure 2.

Description

Appearance

The Hi-Speed Shoes greatly resemble the Power Sneakers. Featuring more foot-shaped proportions and outlines, they are mostly red with tongues, solid white cuffs, and thin white straps with golden fasteners on each end over their middle. The outsoles are yellow, red and grey, highly detailed, and have a red recess below the in-steps. The rims on the front of the outsoles are white, while the heel rims are grey and the rims on the middle have yellow and white arches.

Features and abilities

Like the Power Sneakers, the Hi-Speed Shoes appear virtually friction-proof, showing no wear from being used to run at the speed of sound. In addition, they are specifically made for the grinding maneuver,[2] thereby ensuring high-speed movements on Grind Rails.

Game appearances

Sonic Adventure 2

In Sonic Adventure 2 and its ports, the Hi-Speed Shoes are worn by Sonic the Hedgehog over the course of the entire game.

In the 2012 release on Xbox 360, the Hi-Speed Shoes are available as an award for the Xbox Live Avatar. These shoes are dubbed "Sonic's 2G Hi-Speed Shoes" and can be unlocked by amassing a total playtime of 10 hours in Sonic Adventure 2. The shoes, however, are not as detailed as their in-game counterpart.

Sonic Pinball Party

In Sonic Pinball Party, the Hi-Speed Shoes makes a small cameo. In this game, it is seen in a sprite of Sonic that is based on one of his Sonic Adventure 2: Battle artworks.

Sonic Forces

In Sonic Forces, the Hi-Speed Shoes can be unlocked as a Costume item and be used to customize the Avatar. In this game, they come in three color schemes, one of which include their regular colors.

In other media

Sonic X

In the anime series Sonic X, the Hi-Speed Shoes were created by Christopher Thorndyke to give Sonic an advantage over his enemies when grinding.

The Hi-Speed Shoes are derived from the real-life Soap shoes, which are shoes made for grinding. They were introduced by Chris Morris of Artemis Innovations Inc. with the brand name "Soap" in 1997. They have a plastic concavity in the sole, which allows the wearer to grind on objects such as pipes, handrails, and stone ledges. The company and their product rapidly gained popularity through fansites, a video game, and live demonstrations. Soap fell to legal vulnerabilities and was readministrated twice, eventually bringing the brand to Heeling Sports Limited. The act of grinding on rails and ledges specifically using Soap shoes has been dubbed "soaping," with the "soaper" being the one performing said act.

Soap in Sonic the Hedgehog

Sonic Adventure 2 presented many billboards, blimps, and benches advertising Soap due to a partnership to promote the product and the new extreme sport, freestyle grinding, that Soap's shoes were made for; the Hi-Speed Shoes in Sonic Adventure 2 were conceptualized for this purpose. Although grinding has remained a core gameplay element in subsequent Sonic games, officially licensed Soap shoes have given way to generic grind shoes. Pending the sale of Soap to In-Stride and later HSL, no actions were taken for the continuation of the partnership.

Though the Hi-Speed Shoes still appear in the HD version of Sonic Adventure 2, the Soap Shoe ads are not present, having been replaced with other ads, such as ads for Sonic Team or the word "Speed".

Trivia

Gallery

Artwork

Miscellaneous

References

↑ Xbox Live. Awards. "Sonic's 2G Hi-Speed Shoes description: Slip into Sonic's Hi-Speed Shoes and experience the ultimate level of record smashing speed." ↑ 2.0 2.1 Darrell C: Why did you change your shoes in Sonic Adventure 2 Battle? / Sonic: Those were special shoes that were specifically made for grinding. It was something that I've always wanted to try and it sure came in handy! Look forward for some more intense and extreme grinding in my next adventure, Sonic Heroes.” Sega of America. Sonic Q and A . Sega of America. Archived from the original on 13 June 2004. “: Why did you change your shoes in Sonic Adventure 2 Battle? /: Those were special shoes that were specifically made for grinding. It was something that I've always wanted to try and it sure came in handy! Look forward for some more intense and extreme grinding in my next adventure, Sonic Heroes.”