Author: Darren "Doom Dude" Finch

Release Date: Unknown
(Note: Dates are in British format DD/MM/YYYY)

The Doom Dude is probably our Community's most vital member. He does everything to run the NewDoom website which has been my favourite site for a while. On top of that he's actively working on projects for Doom 2, including an update of his megawad Vilecore. So I thought I'd get in there first and review Vilecore.

I'm afraid I have got to be cruel. Vilecore is not the masterpiece I expected.

---

Difficulty: Medium (UV)

Nothing of note.

---

Gameplay: Average

Vilecore is staid looking but plays quite well with some flairs of skill. Doomcatraz is a good co-op adventure if tedious for the single player. The other maps vary between dull and exciting and the net result is an average to good megawad with no special merits yet nothing to prevent me from recommending it to you. However, I would wait for Vilecore 2 and play that instead.

Highlights: Good gameplay with some innovative maps.

Lowlights: The Vilecore of the title is a secret map so if you play through the wad normally like I did, you might not even see it. The first couple of maps are awful. Wait for Vilecore 2.

---

Aesthetics: Poor

Substance over style. In contrast to his amazing-looking replacement wad, Doom Dude's original Vilecore is astonishingly crude. The first few maps are so ugly I almost gave up playing. Fortunately things get better as we go along. There are plenty of bare rooms and blank walls and the indoors maps such as the Aztec map can get depressing. All of Doom Dude's other wads are better-looking.

---

Overall Score: 6/10

Pros:
- Imaginative gameplay.
- Co-op works quite well.

Cons:
- Very ugly in places.
- About to be replaced, so wait for Vilecore 2.