Phobos

Taking into account the date this WAD was launched (1998) we can see why it is so admired and held in such high esteem. It is a WAD that for our modern times can be considered boring and old, but we must be able to transport our mind to the classical times. Phobos gave birth to an experiment and innovation never seen before, made with such care and capacity that you can still hear the echo it made.

Of course, the gameplay is a factor that can be a little uncomfortable, since it wasn't as well thought out as the graphic design, especially the placement of enemies and items, but still, it's just a milestone, guys.

It is an important piece of history in showing us how an author was able to break the limits and go beyond what the standard established; as the saying goes, don't point to the sky, point to Phobos.

9.5 out of 10! Awesome wad, heres my video review - 

I was wowed by the amount of special effects on display for something as simple as vanilla Doom 2. Despite complains about the gameplay, I found myself enjoying it for the most part; it only felt a bit wonky to have the monsters teleporting in random locations which wasn't the most ideal setup for the amount of close quarters combat you'll be having in some tighter spaces. Someone could end up not having a good time with the monster placement getting randomized while it plays nicer for others. There's some dark caves and vent tunnels, and lots of wonderful little touches throughout like animated vent fans, a plane taking off, a computer running Doom II and other detail treasures. I would liken it to a Doom museum with a gameplay gimmick that may not fancy most Doomers out there, but I quite enjoyed my time exploring the world (or moon) of Phobos. I only wish it had more maps.

This is the first custom wad I ever played, actually I don't even know how it had appeared in my Doom folder back then. Anyway after I learnt how to actually run it, I enjoyed the interesting layout and new textures. Also the gameplay is very different compared to Doom 2, which I found interesting at first. However I am sorry to say I didn't enjoy levels 2-3 very much. Surely there is an idea behind this design, but the gameplay is tiring.

Solid 3 stars thanks to Map01, which I like a lot.

The special effects and decor look surprisingly good for a vanilla WAD and the mapset is worth checking out for the architecture alone. The gameplay is unfortunately lackluster with monsters spread around willy-nilly, and in fact it might be better to play with nomonsters on and just focus on exploring the level and beholding the visuals.