It took me a good hour or so to figure this out. I did not edit the GamerSettings.ini file.
I tried to import an "AutoSave.pcsav" file, a "QuickSave.pcsav" file, and a "ChapterSave.pcsav" file. None of the three worked. So I re-downloaded my save game file that was in the following format: "SaveXXXX.pcsav", where "XXXX" is the number. So this file was Save 5; that is, "Save0005.pcsav". That was placed into the C:\Users\USERNAME\Documents\BioWare\Mass Effect 2\Save folder in a new folder called "CharacterName_XX_Soldier_XXXXXX" (with the X's as numbers). The format of the folder name DOES matter; look up how to format the name properly.
Now, I had recently re-formatted my computer and copied the old save folder onto the new installation of Windows. ME3 didn't find anything in the folder, so I just changed one of the numbers on the end (the "XXXXXX" in "CharacterName_XX_Soldier_XXXXXX") and it picked it up just fine.
Don't ask me to explain how this worked, but it worked. Aliens.
A few notes I got from other forums:
- Your save will only be considered "complete" and thus recognized by ME3 if you click "Continue" after the credits at the end of ME2 and then make the save aboard the Normandy.
- If you died at the end, your save cannot be imported.
- Your saves MUST be in a properly named folder to be recognized by ME3.
