The Metacritic throne room was a predictable place. Year after year, the same hallowed titles occupied the highest spots. Then, a French JRPG nobody saw coming snatched the crown, and all bets were off. Now, a game based on a Disney sitcom is breathing down its neck.
Analysts are still picking their jaws up off the floor. Cory in the House, a tie-in to a goofy TV show, is within striking distance of Expedition 33’s formidable 9.6 user score. That 0.3-point gap is still a significant hurdle, but its current 9.3 rating unseated Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater from its #2 position and sent the rest of the pack tumbling down the rankings. I’ve got to ask: How did we get here?
From Obscurity to Virality: How Did Cory in the House Become a Metacritic Contender?
Think about all the video game adaptations you’ve seen. Most of them barely capture the essence of what made the original property popular. Cory in the House, based on the 2008 Disney Channel show about a kid living in the White House, seemed destined for the bargain bin. Yet, sometime in the 2010s, the game – not the show – became a meme factory.
The original wave of popularity likely originated from organized campaigns on 4chan and Reddit. However, this new surge feels different, almost spontaneous. Internet detectives haven’t found any single source to credit (or blame).
If you’re familiar with 4chan, you probably assume this game is terrible. You’re right. But did you know it’s also trying to be a stealth game? That’s just one of the bewildering choices that make Cory stand out. According to the lead developer in an interview with Kotaku—who apparently got the job because he had three months more experience than anyone else—the game was cobbled together in a grueling seven months. It’s like a Frankensteinian creation made of discarded minigames and rejected ideas. Cory in the House is a cautionary tale about chasing profits, now set to haunt Metacritic’s leaderboards forever.
What Makes A Game “Good” According to Metacritic Users?
It’s not always about technical polish or narrative depth. Sometimes, a game transcends its intended purpose and becomes a cultural phenomenon. Cory in the House, like many meme-driven sensations, benefits from irony and the sheer absurdity of its existence. It’s a reminder that user scores can be swayed by factors beyond traditional review criteria.
The Expedition 33 Achievement That Cory May Never Reach
Expedition 33 isn’t just loved by users; critics also gave it high marks, resulting in an impressive 9.2 score. Even if Cory in the House ends up exposing some flaws in Metacritic’s user rating system, it’s unlikely to gain much traction with critics, considering that fewer than four outlets bothered to review it at launch. Its fate with the press is written in the stars, while its user score seems to be reaching escape velocity.
Is a High Metacritic User Score Enough to Call a Game “Successful?”
Success in gaming is a multifaceted concept. Sales, critical acclaim, and cultural impact all contribute. Cory in the House might not have the first two, but it undeniably has the third, albeit in a very unconventional way. Its high user score is a testament to its meme status, not necessarily its inherent quality. It’s a bit like calling a viral dance craze a masterpiece of choreography.
How Much Does Metacritic’s User Score Actually Matter to Developers?
For some developers, a high Metacritic score is a badge of honor, a validation of their hard work. For others, it’s just one metric among many. In the case of Cory in the House, the original developers likely aren’t paying much attention. But its unexpected success could inspire other studios to embrace the absurd and create games that are intentionally bad, hoping to capture the meme zeitgeist (and the corresponding boost in user scores). That’s a gamble, though, and could easily backfire. The industry has seen it time and again.
Cory in the House isn’t just a game; it’s a symbol of the internet’s unpredictable nature. It’s a glitch in the matrix, a reminder that sometimes, the things we least expect become the most popular. And, at the end of the day, isn’t that the most interesting thing of all?