BioWare says a patch to fix the savegame-killing bug in the PlayStation 3 version of Mass Effect 2 is on the way and in the meantime has a workaround to help users avoid getting sucked through a real-life Omega Relay.
After waiting so patiently for so long, the PlayStation 3 crowd finally got its paws on Mass Effect 2, the latest chapter in BioWare’s epic sci-fi RPG series that Xbox 360 owners have been playing since 2007. And then came the bad news: a bug in the game that not only causes it to crash but destroys saved games as well. Not even saving in different slots helps to avoid the issue because the bug corrupts all data related to a player’s character. It’s a nasty one.
BioWare began collecting data from affected users shortly after the problem became known and now says that a patch is in testing and should be ready to deliver to Sony by Friday for verification and distribution. As well as fixing the save-game bug, the update will also slightly improve load times and level streaming, fix some spelling mistakes, make sure the right love interest picture is on display in Shepard’s cabin and straighten out a few other small errors.
BioWare Community Manager Chris Priestly wrote that while “data and telemetry have shown that very few people have seen this issue,” a workaround has been developed to ensure that everyone can continue playing the game without fear of losing hours and hours of gameplay. “Simply restart your game every few hours,” he said. “By shutting down and restarting your game, you will not encounter the corrupted save issue.”
As an alternative workaround, PS3 owners can also avoid the Mass Effect 2 save bug by purchasing an Xbox.
