Cracked emulators store save files in obscure directories (like C:\Users\Public\Documents\Steam\CODEX\638970 ). If the emulator crashes, you can lose dozens of hours of gameplay.
SEGA's official release stripped the resource-heavy anti-piracy tech from the game engine, drastically speeding up game load times.
The 2015 prequel entry in Sega's legendary action-adventure franchise, which made its massive debut on PC (Steam) in August 2018.