What Game uses Flow best

The game that best uses flow is Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. The game hits on all of the criteria for hitting flow but this doesn't really kick in until a quarter of the way into the game. The beginning of the game is mainly a tutorial for newbies and a refresher for vets and lets you play around with some of the new control concepts added to the game. It doesn't take too long to get everything down pact but once you do you are still trying to discover the extent of your abilities.

After the initial chapter and the introduction of the next one you are still in the learning stage due to the new character you play as. The merging of action and awareness starts to take place as you get more items and weapons. The controls are pretty simple and once you get them you rarely have to think about it. From the get go the game has a clear goal and feedback. This is where the Metal Gear series excels at. The object of the game is to complete objectives without being noticed by your enemies. If you make too much noise or get too close to an enemy they question where the noise comes from or asks who that is in the distance. If you are caught enemies are put on alert and a search and destroy squad is sent after to you. If you hide then a breach and clear team is sent to clear the last place you were seen at which most of the time is where you are still hiding. This all helps to draw you into the world and makes you focus on the more expansive goals of the game be it bomb disposal or tracking down an informant. Once the game opens up after a boss fight with a harrier jet Flow starts to kick in which is perfect because at this point the story has really opened up and all the hooks are coming together.

The paradox of control kicks in as you get to explore more areas of the Big Shell and take in how massive the structure is and get a feel for all of the damage the structure has taken. Even though you have more freedom to explore you are being dragged along a path. It’s hidden from you because you have to backtrack through most places you see. On top of that every few rooms require a different level of security clearance that's unavailable until you defeat certain bosses or meet other important characters. At this point things get more difficult and your takes require more finesse or just smart thinking. The game does a great job of giving you the tools you need to take on a challenge and rewards you for any additional exploration with more weapons and equipment. It’s also during this point that you lose consciousness of yourself and hour of time because the character’s goals and motivations become your own. You get attached to the people you are tasked to save and in the end you just want to play solely to see whether or not you’ll really be able to stop a terrorist attack with the odds against you at almost every turn.