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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →In January 2026, Cory in the House was closing in on Clair Obscur: Expedition 33—but only on Metacritic’s user-score chart. Kotaku reported that Cory had reached a 9.4 while Clair Obscur stood at 9.5, leaving Cory in second place. A later March report put Cory third after Clair Obscur reclaimed the lead. Those are dated snapshots, not a verified ranking for October 8, 2026.
What did “dethroned” mean?
The prediction concerned Metacritic’s ranking of games by user score, not the critic-review aggregate. These are different measures: user ratings reflect scores submitted by users, while the critic aggregate reflects professional reviews. A position near the top of the user chart does not mean a game has overtaken another in critic reception.
![Wish Gone Amiss (Cory in the House / The Suite Life of Zack & Cody / Hannah Montana) [2007] [DVD] [PAL]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51CEp6w-18L._SL160_.jpg)
The phrase “may soon” captured a developing January 2026 story, not a completed change in rank. Kotaku reporter Lewis Parker wrote on January 13: “There’s still a way to go before Cory in the House ultimately dethrones Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, but it’s well on track at this point.”
How close did Cory get?
Kotaku reported on January 13 that Cory in the House had been second overall in late December 2025 and had risen to a 9.4 user score, while Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 had slipped to 9.5. Kotaku also noted roughly 30 perfect user scores for Cory in the preceding 24 hours. Cory was still short of first place when the report appeared.
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- Factory sealed DVD
Kotaku connected the activity to a long-running ironic meme around the 2008 Nintendo DS game and a renewed wave of attention. The report said it could not pinpoint the exact reason for the latest surge; that context does not establish that ratings were coordinated.
What happened after the January prediction?
GamesRadar reported on March 2, 2026 that Resident Evil Requiem briefly took the user-chart lead, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 reclaimed first, and Cory in the House was third. This is the latest ranking snapshot cited here. It does not establish where any of the games rank on October 8, 2026, because the live chart has not been verified for that date.
Rank #2
- Factory sealed DVD
Why are the games being compared?
The comparison is striking partly because the games are so different. Cory in the House is a Nintendo DS game released in North America on April 15, 2008, according to Nintendo Life. Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the game named in the January report as Cory’s user-chart rival. The ranking story is about scores and meme-driven attention, not an equivalence in genre, platform, critical reception, or player experience.
Did the rating surge affect the game’s resale market?
Nintendo Life reported on January 17, 2026 that sealed copies of Cory in the House had reportedly sold for up to $399 USD amid the attention spike. That is a historical high-end sale report, not a current price estimate or a guide to what a copy is worth. Condition, completeness, seller, and timing matter in collectible markets, and current availability and prices are not established here.
Rank #3
TechRadar’s January 16 feature also described the game as a Nintendo DS cartridge and reported that its author played it on a Nintendo 3DS. That is the feature writer’s account, not an independent compatibility test.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.So, can Cory take the top spot?
It had a plausible path during the January 2026 surge, but the available dated reports show it did not hold the lead: it was second in Kotaku’s January snapshot and third in GamesRadar’s March snapshot. Since no live October ranking is verified, a claim that Cory currently leads—or is still close to leading—would go beyond the evidence. Metacritic user rankings can move as ratings change, so any present-tense answer requires checking the chart at the time of publication.
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