October 1, 2004 - IGN has always been on top of things; that's why we periodically gather a list of the nastiest game-stopping glitches and offer recommendations on how to avoid them. While not everyone is destined to experience the same "bugs", we know how frustrating they can be for the gamers who do face them. Here're some recently reported glitches/bugs to look out for:


Fable (Xbox)

The Bug: I've got one of the Samsung HDTVs, and I've never had a problem running the progressive scan PS2 games, DVDS, or progressive scan GameCube games. I've even played SW KOTOR in progressive scan on the Xbox, but for some reason, Fable refuses to run in 480p.

Or:

Fable does not play in 480p. I have a system that only displays 480p not 480i. The 480i images (system start screens for example) are wide and blurry. This makes the game unplayable. Fable does not switch to 480P even though my system is set for 480p. All other games work fine. I have called Microsoft game support and they stated they are looking into similar reports.

The Fix: To play the game in progressive scan: Open the Xbox tray with Fable in the drive. Go to the video settings on the dashboard and turn 480p off, then on again. Hold both triggers down and click both analogue sticks down and close the tray while holding these buttons.

The Bug: I have found a pretty bad bug that can cause problems in Fable. While doing the fist fighters club side quest, I went through each club until I got to the last club in Knothole Glade. The fights began as usual but on the second fight, I suddenly got a message saying that I had lost and to try again tomorrow. There was no reason for this message, and my "fight health" bar was still on the screen. Upon trying again the next day, it gave me a new "fight health" bar below the last one, and this continued, without any of the bars ever going away. This forced me to begin a new file and start over. I have since then not tried any fight club quests.

The Fix: I have not experienced or heard of this bug. If anyone has a solution better than starting a new quest, please submit it here.

Submitted by Jonathan

Marine Sharpshooter II (PC)

The Bug: Error message "Could Not Initialize the Renderer" means that your video card does not properly support the features required by Marine Sharpshooter II. Specifically, your card does not support Hardware Transform and Lighting functions, often referred to as Hardware T&L.; Essentially, it's a portion of the math and setup for the graphics that the video card handles instead of the main CPU.

The Fix: You need at least a nVidia Geforce 2 or ATI Radeon 7200 video card for Marine Sharpshooter II.


Sacred (PC)

Patch Update: I would just like to let you know that with the latest patch (Patch version 1.7) for the game you can't use the "sys cheats 963" code. It will just keep saying "Cheat Mode Off".

Submitted by sprechtsdu


Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005 (Xbox, GC, PS2)

The Bug: When registering Tiger Woods 2005, EA responds with an email containing the code "REGISTERED" which is supposed to unlock exclusive apparel and golf gear. This code does not work.

The Fix: There is not currently a fix for this code although some gamers speculate that special characters need to typed before and after the code. If you have a verified version of the code that works please drop a line to codes@ign.com. Meanwhile, some legit Tiger Woods cheats for all consoles can be found here.

The Bug: Does anyone know how to take off the nose ring? I accidentally bought one and now I'm stuck with it.

The Fix: Right now there is no fix for this bug, but consider yourself warned. If you decide to give your character a nose ring they will be stuck with it.

Submitted by jtw3unc

The Bug: If you notice on the back of the box, there are no custom soundtracks although I have found a way to include them. Go into EA-Trax and deselect each song in every menu and save your settings. Your custom soundtracks will then play although you have no control over what will play.

The Fix: Wait a minute, that bug was a fix! Now when ya'll want that 808, you can feel that B-A-S-S, bass… sorry.

Submitted by jacko


FINAL FANTASY XI: Chains of Promathia (PS2)

The Bug: I just picked up Promathia. From the Play Online viewer I select: Install. I then choose Chains of Promathia, select "start installation". The game logs onto the network to verify and once I get here and try to continue with the installation after verification it tells me that "FFXI isn't installed" and that the Promathia installation can't proceed.

The Fix: The official explanation from Sony: We have discovered an issue with the PlayStation(R)2 version of FINAL FANTASY XI Expansion Disc: Chains of Promathia. Cancelling the installation by pressing the\\\"Stop\\\" button may cause all FINAL FANTASY XI data to be lost, necessitating a complete reinstall of FINAL FANTASY XI.

* Note that pressing \\\"Stop\\\" during the installation will display a confirmation screen. This screen prevents accidental cancellations.

If you encounter this issue, you will need the original FINAL FANTASY XI discs in order to reinstall the game.

Please note that you must reinstall FINAL FANTASY XI if the Chains of Promathia installation is cancelled in any way. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Submitted by Ty and Cameronomon1

Thief: Deadly Shadows (Xbox, PC)

The Bug: For the Thief: Deadly Shadows bug where Garret becomes stuck walking. (Bug Report: 2004-July-02) I have the same problem that the XBOX user has and I'm using the game on PC. Whoever wrote "The Fix" said they didn't have the problem on PC. The readme for the game alludes to a keyboard issue, but using the "test" they suggest, that isn't the problem.

The Fix: I found an interesting fix for this. You change the default movement to walk, and then hold down shift to run. Even though it seems counterintuitive that a simple change in the binds would solve the problem, I don't even get jammed "running" the way I would get jammed "walking" when run was the default movement. This will not solve the Xbox problem.
Instructions for key binding changes for a default speed of walking and when the "walk" key is held down you run:
  • Change the options.ini file in your My Documents/Thief3 personal settings folder. Set your movements (if they are ASWD):
    W=MoveForwardBackward 0.500000
    S=MoveForwardBackward -0.500000
  • In the Thief3 directory, edit the file: "System/default.ini" In the section "[T3Settings]" change the following: WalkMultiplier=1.0

Submitted by Josh


Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (PC)

The Bug: In KOTOR for the PC, it goes really jerky when you inside your apartment (mission 2). You can't control yourself and you have to exit the game and wait for a while before it will stop jerking.
I have all graphics on lowest and my system is:
P4 1.8Ghz
512 MB Ram
64MB GeForce 4
What can I do to stop this happening?

The Fix: This sounds like a problem that can be fixed by downloading the patches. Simply open the game and hit update.

Submitted by Shuan answered by Seaspirit


BloodRayne (PS2)

The Bug: It's a pretty recognizable bug. In Bloodrayne, there is a cinematic cut scene where it shows Bloodrayne about to kill an officer. After everything is done, Bloodrayne appears to bite the officer's neck. When she is about to, the screen goes black and stays black. Keep your fingers crossed it doesn't happen to you!

Submitted by Hadi


If you've got tips on beating any game bugs then e-mail us about it. Even if you're just offering advice for bugs already covered, your help will definitely be appreciated and you'll be helping other gamers like yourself avoid these pitfalls. If you've been stumped by a particular bug, tell us about it! Shoot an e-mail our way and we'll see if we can help you, or at the least report it and have other people help you out.