Metacritic Madness: Disney Meme Threatens Top Spot & PS5 Flop’s Fake Reviews

It is January 15, 2026, and if you thought the gaming industry had run out of ways to surprise us, take a look at the Metacritic charts this morning. The aggregate site, usually a bastion of heated debates regarding frame rates and narrative structures, has turned into a battlefield of memes, nostalgia, and alleged manipulation.

From the unexpected resurgence of a Nintendo DS tie-in game challenging the arguably best RPG of the last year, to a PS5 exclusive attempting to mask its critical panning with suspicious user positivity, today's news cycle is a testament to the chaotic power of the user score.

The Return of the King: Cory in the House

In what might be the most "internet" moment of 2026 so far, the 2008 Nintendo DS game Cory in the House—based on the Disney Channel sitcom—is currently rocketing up the user charts. The target? Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.

For those who haven't been following the leaderboard, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 arrived late last year and stunned the world, generating a User Score of 9.6 and effectively claiming the title of the highest player-rated game on the platform. It was a victory for high-concept RPGs. However, the internet loves nothing more than to destabilize the status quo with irony.

According to reports from GAMINGbible and GamesRadar+, a coordinated campaign is underway to reinstate Cory in the House as the supreme victor of Metacritic. The movement, fueled by memes that ironically label the shovelware title as the "peak of the gaming industry," claims that anyone denying its greatness is "delusional."

The Tale of the Tape

The contrast between these two titles could not be starker. We are witnessing a battle between a modern masterpiece of turn-based aestheticism and a 2008 licensed mini-game collection.

Time Extension weighed in on the phenomenon with a headline that perhaps sums up the frustration of serious critics everywhere: "The Fact That This Terrible Nintendo DS Could Top Metacritic Is Proof That Democracy Was A Mistake." While hyperbolic, it highlights a flaw in the user review system—it measures passion (or humor) rather than objective quality.

The Secondary Market Surge

The joke has real-world financial consequences. As noted by cllct, this isn't just about digital numbers. The meme campaign has bled into the collectibles market. eBay sellers are noticing the trend, and sealed copies of Cory in the House are suddenly commanding prices far higher than a forgotten Disney tie-in has any right to.

Collectors are looking to move sealed copies to capitalize on the irony, proving that in 2026, meme value is just as tangible as nostalgic value.

The Darker Side: Code Violet's Fake Positivity

While the Cory situation is a humorous example of community rallying, another story breaking today highlights the malicious side of user reviews. The PS5 exclusive Code Violet, marketed as a spiritual successor to Dino Crisis, has launched to abysmal critic reviews.

The game currently sits at a Metascore of 32, with critics calling it an "amateurish mess" and a "broken homage." However, a glance at the user score section tells a different, suspicious story.

According to GAMINGbible, the title is facing allegations of fake Metacritic reviews. A flood of 10/10 user scores appeared almost instantly, featuring generic praise that contradicts the technical brokenness cited by every major outlet. These reviews often utilize broken English or repeated phrases, suggesting bot activity or a desperate attempt by "superfans" to salvage the game's reputation.

Spotting the Fakes

How do we distinguish between a Cory meme and a Code Violet scam? It usually comes down to the text.

This incident with Code Violet serves as a stark reminder that while User Scores give power to the players, that power is easily weaponized by developers or fanboys in denial.

Editor's Pick: The World-Building of Sunless Skies

Amidst the chaos of review bombs and meme wars, it is important to remember why we actually look at these scores: to find great games. While the news cycle focuses on the extremes, I've been pouring hours into a title that sits comfortably with an 87 Metacritic score.

As echoed by a recent Game Rant editorial, Sunless Skies (and its predecessor Sunless Sea) offers some of the most dense, terrifying, and beautiful world-building in the medium. It is a Roguelike Survival RPG where the "survival" isn't just about hunger—it's about retaining your sanity in a gothic, cosmic-horror steam-punk universe.

If you are tired of the drama surrounding Code Violet or the silliness of Cory in the House, I highly recommend diving into this backlog gem. It proves that a score in the high 80s often indicates a game with more soul and depth than the 9s and 10s fighting for the top spot.

Beyond Games: 28 Years Later

Metacritic isn't just for games, and today marks a significant release in the world of cinema. The long-awaited 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple has hit theaters.

With the first 32 critic reviews lodged, the film is holding a strong Metascore of [80]. In an era where horror sequels often suffer from diminishing returns, seeing a score this high for a franchise revival is promising. It seems the critics are appreciating the return to the gritty, kinetic energy that made the original 28 Days Later a classic.

The Verdict: Do Scores Matter in 2026?

As we look at the disparity between Clair Obscur, Cory in the House, and Code Violet, the question arises: What is the value of a number?

If a game can be voted to the top as a joke, does the top spot mean anything? If a broken game can manufacture a positive user score, can we trust the audience? The answer is likely in the middle. Metacritic remains a vital tool, not because the number is truth, but because the movement of those numbers tells us about the culture.

For more analysis on how rankings shift and what's worth playing, check out these deep dives from around the community:

• Ranking Fallout Games - A look at how legacy scores hold up. Watch Video

• The Great 2026 Metacritic Fantasy Draft - The PopC PlayStation Podcast discusses the gamification of scores. Watch Video

• IGN Rating God of War Games - A historical perspective on consistent quality. Watch Video

Whether you are here for the memes, the outrage, or the hidden gems, one thing is certain: The Metacritic scoreboard is never boring.

Sources used in this article include reports from GAMINGbible, Time Extension, MSN, GamesRadar+, and cllct.