is this a hot or lukewarm take, i can't keep track
i think Sonic's regular shoes with the stripe and the buckle are fine, but if you're gonna have him be in the same setting as Shadow, i think you almost have to give him the Soaps. i understand that they were very much part of a last minute sponsorship deal in SA2, but perhaps completely by accident, the design works so well as a compare and contrast with Shadow's original shoes. i would argue that when you give Sonic back his classic shoes and place him right next to Shadow, you do end up losing some of the design parallels that make them work as immediately recognizable rivals
what i know for a fact is an extremely cold take is that i want sonic team to move the fuck on from this relatively ancient model they've been using in their games for 14 years now (and has existed in promotional material for practically 20) it's just. sooooooo boring now