Post by Phil Parent on Sept 1, 2018 15:11:04 GMT
So, I just completed the basic loop of Fighting Road as fast as I could, losing most of my matches by DQ to move the script forward. It got me up to 16,5% completion, meaning that to clear Fighting Road you have to go through it multiple times and have different results so you see all the cutscenes and get all the matches, which is very sensible. Also note that the following is a report of my experience with my character, which, again, was meant to get to the end as fast as possible.
Here's how it's structured...
1) From your tryout to your excursion.
The most linear part of the mode. You will first go through tryout, where you will be taught what makes a good match. You will be fighting two mode-exclusive fictional fellow tryouts (Noriyuki Hayashi & Yoshio Kakizaki, I NEED THEIR INFO FOR THE ANTHOLOGY, DAMNIT!) in matches meant to impress the trainers. Many matches in this section have special winning conditions, if you fail, you'll get infinite chances to get it right. After doing so, you'll be told you are accepted into the New Japan Dojo, where you will learn some more about match psychology and having some matches. Eventually, you debut in front of the audience and quickly you will be entered into the Young Lions Cup. Whether or not you win it makes no difference, you end up going on an excursion anyways, they just bring it up differently.
2) From your excursion to WrestleKingdom 11.
In the SWA, your story revolves around Steel Johnson and Karts Rowdy, the first being your mentor and the second your rival-turned-mentor. Eventually, you will be told that the next match you fight will be your last in the SWA because you miss New Japan and want to go back home. There isn't that much depth to the excursion, and you never get to come back, although Steel & Karts do show up to wish you luck before your match at WrestleKingdom 12.
You will return to New Japan at WrestleKingdom 11 in a singles match.
3) WrestleKingdom 11 to WrestleKingdom 12.
This is the meat & potatoes of the mode. One calendar year of New Japan. You will go through all the trademark yearly events of New Japan: WrestleKingdom, Sakura Genesis, Destruction, King Of Pro Wrestling, Power Struggle & Dominion. You will also participate in the World Tag League, the New Japan Cup & the G1-CLIMAX. You will also have the possibility of wrestling on the Togi Makabe 20th Anniversary Show. Unless you change history by inserting yourself in those spots, you'll see that the Fighting Road year is the same as 2017 New Japan. Even Tomoaki Honma's neck injury is included.
Very early, a stable will approach you and bring you in with them. You have no choice in the matter. CHAOS approached me. You are with them for the duration.
If you wrestle like a total loser like I did, your character will toil opening the card in 6-men tag for the duration of his year. This is realistic, you will not end up in an IWGP Championship match if you lose all the time. I did, however, get an IWGP Intercontinent shot VS Tanahashi in the very last match of the mode at WrestleKingdom 12, which had the feeling of being a consolation price. However, it seems to me that upward progression on the card would be quick once you start winning matches.
Once your match at WK12 ends, so does your loop in Fighting Road. The screen takes you back to the Fighting Road menu where you get to go through the loop again (from WK to WK, although you can also go through the tryout/training/excursion phase again if you want) as a member of the stable that you want (The choices are Main Army, CHAOS, LIJ and Suzuki-gun). At this point, you will also pick your character's popularity, which will influence your early path through the game. You have the choice between three levels. I'm thinking the path described in this guide so far would be equivalent to the "Unpopular" path.
Next I will go through the game winning every match and see how the path differs.
Here's how it's structured...
1) From your tryout to your excursion.
The most linear part of the mode. You will first go through tryout, where you will be taught what makes a good match. You will be fighting two mode-exclusive fictional fellow tryouts (Noriyuki Hayashi & Yoshio Kakizaki, I NEED THEIR INFO FOR THE ANTHOLOGY, DAMNIT!) in matches meant to impress the trainers. Many matches in this section have special winning conditions, if you fail, you'll get infinite chances to get it right. After doing so, you'll be told you are accepted into the New Japan Dojo, where you will learn some more about match psychology and having some matches. Eventually, you debut in front of the audience and quickly you will be entered into the Young Lions Cup. Whether or not you win it makes no difference, you end up going on an excursion anyways, they just bring it up differently.
2) From your excursion to WrestleKingdom 11.
In the SWA, your story revolves around Steel Johnson and Karts Rowdy, the first being your mentor and the second your rival-turned-mentor. Eventually, you will be told that the next match you fight will be your last in the SWA because you miss New Japan and want to go back home. There isn't that much depth to the excursion, and you never get to come back, although Steel & Karts do show up to wish you luck before your match at WrestleKingdom 12.
You will return to New Japan at WrestleKingdom 11 in a singles match.
3) WrestleKingdom 11 to WrestleKingdom 12.
This is the meat & potatoes of the mode. One calendar year of New Japan. You will go through all the trademark yearly events of New Japan: WrestleKingdom, Sakura Genesis, Destruction, King Of Pro Wrestling, Power Struggle & Dominion. You will also participate in the World Tag League, the New Japan Cup & the G1-CLIMAX. You will also have the possibility of wrestling on the Togi Makabe 20th Anniversary Show. Unless you change history by inserting yourself in those spots, you'll see that the Fighting Road year is the same as 2017 New Japan. Even Tomoaki Honma's neck injury is included.
Very early, a stable will approach you and bring you in with them. You have no choice in the matter. CHAOS approached me. You are with them for the duration.
If you wrestle like a total loser like I did, your character will toil opening the card in 6-men tag for the duration of his year. This is realistic, you will not end up in an IWGP Championship match if you lose all the time. I did, however, get an IWGP Intercontinent shot VS Tanahashi in the very last match of the mode at WrestleKingdom 12, which had the feeling of being a consolation price. However, it seems to me that upward progression on the card would be quick once you start winning matches.
Once your match at WK12 ends, so does your loop in Fighting Road. The screen takes you back to the Fighting Road menu where you get to go through the loop again (from WK to WK, although you can also go through the tryout/training/excursion phase again if you want) as a member of the stable that you want (The choices are Main Army, CHAOS, LIJ and Suzuki-gun). At this point, you will also pick your character's popularity, which will influence your early path through the game. You have the choice between three levels. I'm thinking the path described in this guide so far would be equivalent to the "Unpopular" path.
Next I will go through the game winning every match and see how the path differs.
