25 Video Game Inspired Sneakers That Don't Suck

Image via Complex Original

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Pony and EA teamed up in 2008 for these classic-looking kicks, for some reason dubbed "Feed the Cat" and featuring EA's handsome red, white and blue colorway. They were distributed during EA's promotional tour for Madden 08, so it's unlikely you'll find a pair today. At least there will always be another Madden game.

Price: $50/$70
Still Available?: Yes

For non-licensed, custom sneaks, these have a really solid look to them. Even if they can't officially use the wordTetris, "video game shapes" tends to get the right message across. And you can't go wrong with Keds-they may be the shoes your mother wears, but they have been around forever.

Price: $100
Still Available?: No

These special Puma RS-100s were another limited run, with just 250 pairs available at select Puma stores in New York City. There are a few really nice touches here, like the map of lower Manhattan on the upper and the letters "TC" printed on the heel. Plus, each pair came with a free copy of True Crime: New York City. Not bad.

Price: $60
Still Available?: On eBay

The Nintendo Wii Blazer High is clean with an all leather upper, reflective swoosh and light blue translucent sole. The design on these were awesome and appealed to sneakers and gamers on many levels. Sneaker freaks loved the minimalist colorway while video game geeks were able to catch the subtle nods to the gaming console with the orange power symbol on the top of the tongue and the laces which were inspired by the Wii's nunchuck straps.

Price: $70
Still Available?: No

With the fandom surrounding the super-exclusive "PlayStation" Air Force 1 Lows, Nike released these blazers to the general public. Sure it's not like having the AF1s but no one could front on the smooth, black leather upper and the holographic swoosh and trim above the sole. If you're not swimming in cash to hunt down a pair of the original "PlayStation" kicks then these will suit you just fine as a substitute to rep the video game dynasty.

Price: $318-$398
Still Available?: Nope.

Brass Monki is the one-man-brand of Daniel Reese, the self-named "Sneaker Freaker," whose pop culture custom sneaker jobs include everything from Dexter to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. He even takes requests. ThesePokemon-themed Nike high-tops can be bought on his website. While they're certainly beautiful, it's up to you whether you actually want to walk around with Snorlax on your feet.

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Three-time NBA all star (and these kicks' namesake) Gilbert Arenas is apparently quite a Halo fan-he even sponsors a team of pros known as Team Final Boss. These kicks were launched to promote the release of Halo 3back in 2007, and they were made in a limited run of only 100 pairs. At least they didn't try to do any in-game tie-ins-can you imagine Sgt. Johnson sporting a pair of these?

Price: $39.98
Still Available?: No

While Ben Sherman isn't exactly known for hip kicks, we really love these Pacman slip-ons. The pattern gets it just right without overdoing it, and the single colored ghost on each foot is a wonderful touch. We do have one problem, though: they're called "Blinky Bens", but the featured ghost is clearly Clyde. Damn, we are nerds.

Price: $250
Still Available?: At flightclub.com

Released along with the "Ryu" Nike SB mid, was the "Chun-Li" SB low that wasn't the most inspired but still attempted to fit into the Street Fighter theme. The suede upper is all blue with white laces and an illustrated sole insert with the video game's first lady of fighting.

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Adidas produced a limited run of 100 of these babies to help promote EA's Need for Speed: The Run, released on Nov. 15 this year. Jack, the game's protagonist, is sporting an identical pair during the game's cross-country race, but it's not so easy to snag them in real life. If you missed one of the special events in Chicago or San Francisco where the shoes were available, you're probably out of luck.

Price: Varies
Still Available?: On eBay

Inspired by the colors on the original 1980 Pacman video game arcade machine, this Dunk High sports bright, suede upper with a leather toe box. Although they come with both white and yellow laces, we recommend rocking the yellow to bring the colors together into a cohesive theme. What really makes these kicks great is the subtle reflective 3M trim that gives it extra neck-breaking cred when the light hits it.

Price: $2200
Still Available?: No

These PS2-themed pairs of classic Nike Airs were released in a super-limited run of only 50, and they've got a price tag to match. The cost is moot, though, since they're obviously out of stock. Released to promote the tenth anniversary of the PlayStation 2, they feature a subdued colorway, patent leather uppers and an embroidered PS logo.

Price: $318-$398
Still Available?: Yes

There are too many awesome Brass Monki designs to describe them all individually-they'd take up the entire list. These are four of his sneakers centered around the blockbuster franchises Modern Warfare, Halo, God of War, and Bioshock. We'd wear any of these pairs to the prom.

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These old-school sneakers draw inspiration from an equally old-school gaming machine-the original Nintendo Entertainment System. Featuring the iconic colorway of the NES, red, black and shades of grey, they even have an adorable control pad design on the upper. They're sure to hit a really nostalgic button for a lot of gamers.

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A few years ago, Nike for some reason decided to do homage to a rad little 1986 arcade game, 720 Degrees. You might not remember it, but at the time it was known as the first extreme sports game, and the marketing for the NES version dubbed it "the arcade's ultimate aerial experience." We can't really vouch for the game (we weren't even born yet), but we do know these kicks have a sick colorway, and you've got to love the classic black and white checks on the sock liner.

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These sweet babies were hand painted and sold on eBay for an unknown sum in 2008. Geekologie has some pictures of the artist's process, though their sourcing isn't very good, since we can't figure out who that artist was or if they ever made any more. These black Chuck Taylor All-Star high-tops feature the entire cast of Super Smash Bros. Melee, and the fact that they're almost definitely one-of-a-kind makes them even tastier. Too bad we can never have them.

Price: $300-$325
Still Available?: Yes

These garish Nike Dunk Lows were created to pay homage to the 1988 ramp ripper, Skate or Die on the Nintendo Entertainment System.

The orange, blue, black, and highlighter yellow of the colorway somehow go really well together, and the shapes around the rear uppers and heels really remind us of our old trapper keepers. If you're looking to go retro, these would work perfectly with your old issues of Trasher magazine.

Price: $250-$275
Still Available?: At flightclub.com

Though not overly flashy, the Ryu mids borrow from the same colorway as the legendary Street Fighter character Ryu. Most noticeable is the tattered swoosh that represents Ryu's headband and the sole insert that shows an illustration of the brawler.

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Keds designed these sneakers and slip-ons based on classic arcade games because they're awesome (Keds, that is). Granted, that's only speculation, but it's really the only conclusion we can drawTheir Arcade Games collection includes kicks inspired by Galaga, Asteroids, Centipede, Pac-Man, Ms. Pac-Man, and Super Mario Bros., which has probably been in an arcade at some point in time, so it counts. Unfortunately, this was several years ago, so none of these styles are still available for purchase.

Price: $280
Still Available?: At kixclusive.com

If Pacman can get his own signature shoe, why can't his wife get one as well? The eye-catching SB Dunk Low features an electric blue and pink upper with the same reflective yellow trim as her hubby's sneaker. The laces come in black and yellow but again, lace up with the yellow to make it official.

Price: $80-$100
Still Available?: No

Only if you were in Japan or had a Japanese connect could you get your hands on this exclusive collaboration between Nintendo and Converse. The shoes featured various scenes from the Super Mario Bros. video game and were simply retro-delicious. As far as getting a pair now, the most we can recommend is to keep your eyes on eBay to see if they pop up unexpectedly.

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We love these simply for being Monkey Island sneakers, and we would love them if they were hideous, but they're not. Maya Pixelskaya's pixelated portrayal of Guybrush Threepwood's fateful arrival on Melee Island and his infamous insult swordfight adorn the left and right shoes, respectively. These were made by the artist for herself, presumably, though if she ever started selling them we'd be first in line.

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Still Available?: Never was.

Custom sneaker enthusiasts Kyozokicks assembled these GTA IV Nike High Dunks-highlighting the gaming universe's scariest metropolitan, Liberty City, with a view of the Rotterdam Tower and Statue of Happiness on the back.

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Nike's been all over this list, but these take the cake for sheer style and subtlety. We'd sport these kicks even if they weren't inspired by gaming. The wood grain pattern, the black and fluorescent white colorway, the tiny red highlights-they look nice as hell, and they nail down the aesthetic of the Atari 2600 to a T. The damn thing wasn't even a great-looking system. We just love these sneakers.

Price: $50
Still Available?: At CSS

As a cross-promotion between the Halo franchise and Globe skate shoes, the Globe Halo Liberty skate shoe took its cues from Master Chief's armor and the United Nations of Space Command (UNSC) theme. Though exclusive, they can still be found, and won't turn your pockets inside out.