In an unexpected twist within the gaming world, the Nintendo DS title, "Cory in the House," based on the Disney Channel spinoff series, has experienced a remarkable resurgence on Metacritic's user review platform. This phenomenon, rooted in internet meme culture, has propelled the game to sit alongside, and even surpass, highly esteemed titles in terms of user ratings, igniting a wave of comedic commentary and some genuine bewilderment among the gaming community.
The Unlikely Ascent of a Disney Tie-in Game
In 2025, the game "Clair Obscur: Expedition 33" garnered widespread critical acclaim, accumulating numerous "Game of the Year" distinctions. Yet, on Metacritic's user-driven rankings, an improbable contender emerged: the Nintendo DS adaptation of "Cory in the House." This game, originally launched in April 2008, achieved an astonishing 9.6 user score, outstripping even the highly praised "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt's Blood and Wine" expansion and the iconic "Metal Gear Solid." This peculiar rise in popularity can be traced back to 2013, when 4chan users initiated a meme, leading to a deluge of ironically positive reviews across platforms like GameFAQs, Amazon, and Metacritic.
Recently, discussions on Reddit breathed new life into this humorous trend, causing "Cory in the House" to surge once more through Metacritic's ranks. It briefly held the second spot with a 9.4 score, and currently maintains an impressive fifth position with a 9.3 rating, placing it in the company of revered games such as "Silent Hill 2" and "Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater." Many of the glowing 10/10 reviews are laden with irony, praising the game with hyperbolic language, describing it as a "gem of licensed gaming" and even equating its quality to a "likeness of God." One particularly amusing review, mistakenly rated 0/10, still lauded it as "one of the best games I have ever had the fortune of playing," highlighting the pervasive humor. However, not all users share in the joke, with some decrying the game as "just a **** game being propped up as a joke by idiots" and others providing genuinely negative assessments of its graphics and controls, indicating a clear divide in perception.
This peculiar episode serves as a fascinating study of how internet culture and collective humor can dramatically influence public perception, even within established review systems. It underscores the dual nature of user-generated content, where sincerity and irony can coexist, creating a dynamic and sometimes chaotic environment for evaluating media. The case of "Cory in the House" reminds us that not every high rating reflects objective quality, and that sometimes, a good laugh can be just as impactful as critical acclaim.
