It was the early 2000s and my brother and I were heavily into playing Sega Genesis games. My favorites were Toy Story, Ecco the Dolphin, and Pac Man. I remember us helping one another through the Toy Story game because if we lost all our lives and chances, then we would have to start the game all over again. Even our dad stepped in to help sometimes when the in-game challenges got too tough.
I just purchased a Sega Genesis system from my local flea market two months back in March 2024 to show my eldest daughter my love of retro gaming. I will admit she has been annoyed by us having to start all over again if we lose all our lives.
Despite this annoyance, Sega Genesis games without save features encouraged repeat playability. Enjoying a game that you could play over and over with the desire to grind and finish it sans dying definitely puts my headstrong personality into gear to motivate me to get it done.
Some Sega Genesis Games Mimicked Real Life
From fishing games like Bass Masters Classic Pro Edition to cooking games like Double Cooked, many Sega Genesis games mimicked real life that made certain activities sometimes more fun and exciting to play virtually.
Did you know that there was even a casino game on Sega Genesis called Caesars Palace released in 1993? The game’s setting was in Las Vegas, Nevada and makes you feel like you are in a retro 2D gambling experience as you walk around with your character around the casino placing bets on Blackjack, slots, and other popular casino game favorites. Whether you want to play it safe and spend a little bit to try this game out or attempt to bet at a casino online the choice is yours on your desired risk factor of enjoying a betting experience.
How Many Sega Genesis Games Are There?
For being a retro gaming system, there were so many options to choose from as a Sega Genesis owner. There are 1,027 titles available for gameplay on Sega Genesis with most of them not having save features. That’s hours and hours of fun playing arcade style games without having to spend the gas to visit a local modern day arcade.
Do Any Sega Genesis Games Have Save Features?
Many Sega Genesis games with a Japanese Mega Drive, PAL Mega Drive, or the standard American cartridge contained batteries in the cartridge that allowed you to save your progress during gameplay. Almost 200 of them, which is close to 20% of the total games available for the console, were able to save for later gameplay from wherever you left off. Sports games like FIFA Soccer for the years 1995 to 1997, NBA Live for the years 1995 to 1998, and various NFL, NHL, and NCAA games for Sega Genesis contained save features.
Other popular and classic Sega Genesis titles like Shining Force and its sequel as well as Sonic the Hedgehog. While these Sega games with save features made it more convenient to pick up where you left off without having to start all over, it reduced the chances of repeat playability after finishing the entire game.
Sega Games Remastered In the 21st Century
On Nintendo Switch, you can enjoy the love of Sega Genesis gaming with 50 classic titles all on one game cartridge. Plus, they all have save features so that you don’t have to go through the same turmoil of restarting from square one if you lost all your lives like on 80% of the original Sega Genesis games. I’ve considered ordering this game for my Nintendo Switch, but I will always enjoy the repeat playability that the OG Sega Genesis system had to offer.