Mass Effect 2 PS3 save bug patched

BioWare has fixed the PS3 Mass Effect 2 bug that was corrupting save files and throwing away hours of gamers' time.

That fix will be part of a patch that also speeds loading and level streaming; adds telemetry (an information reporting system); corrects spelling mistakes (!); alters the picture in Shepard's Cabin so that it reflects the love interest chosen during the interactive comic; and eradicates a bug causing the PSN download version of ME2 to crash in Shepard's Cabin.

But alas, the patch first needs to be delivered to Sony for validation and distribution. BioWare - wrote community manager Chris Priestly on the company forums - will do this "ASAP". Friday is his best estimate of when the patch will be submitted.

"First, we are sorry some of you have had problems playing Mass Effect 2 on the PlayStation 3 and want to thank you all for providing feedback on our forums on both the freezing and resulting save game issue that some of you have experienced.

"We're currently testing the patch thoroughly, we expect to be finished our quality passes on Friday. This patch is then being delivered to Sony ASAP for verification and distribution."

Priestly said BioWare had data showing that only a "very few people" encountered the save game problem.

He went on to explain that "there is a very simple work-around to ensure the freezing and corruption issues are minimised".

"Simply restart your game every few hours," Priestly said.

"By shutting down and restarting your game, you will not encounter the corrupted save issue."