Weird & Viral

Migrant crossings and gang violence and party bouncy castles carrying MRSA don't share a beat, but they land in the same place: the stories too odd, too niche or too tangential to file elsewhere. Weird & Viral is where the internet's stranger corners meet the wider news day — the offbeat court cases, the once-in-a-generation medical curiosities, the anniversaries and streaming rediscoveries that spark conversation without quite fitting a hard-news category.

It's also where pop culture bleeds into everyday oddity: franchise milestones, long-running legal disputes over songwriting credit, and the small human details behind familiar names all sit alongside genuinely baffling real-world happenings, from unexplained disappearances to unlikely outbreaks. The common thread is less a subject than a sensibility, stories that make you stop scrolling because they're surprising, curious or simply hard to believe.

For readers, this is a lower-stakes but no less compelling corner of the site: a place to be entertained, mildly astonished, and occasionally reminded that reality regularly outpaces fiction for sheer strangeness.

After 40 years, Aliens is still shaping the way video games are made

July 29, 2026

The Guardian’s games column marks 40 years since James Cameron’s Aliens hit cinemas, arguing the film remains hugely influential on how modern action video games are designed. Where Ridley Scott’s original Alien was a claustrophobic slasher with a tiny cast, Cameron’s sequel turned it into a militarised space war movie, establishing templates for weapons, villainous…
Trump’s evolving China rhetoric raises eyebrows over TikTok strategy amid scorching election meddling warning

July 29, 2026

President Donald Trump has adopted a notably softer tone towards China just days after publicly accusing Beijing of “sinister election meddling” in a national address. The apparent shift has prompted scrutiny of the administration’s broader approach to China, particularly given its parallel efforts to keep the video app TikTok operating in the United States, a…
‘We’re Going to Go a Bit Crazy’: Clair Obscur Dev Doesn’t Want to Hold Back on Its Next Game

July 29, 2026

Sandfall Interactive CEO Guillaume Broche has hinted that the studio wants to take creative risks with its next project, following the success of its acclaimed debut RPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. Speaking to Automaton, Broche said the team wants to recapture the passion and fun they felt making Expedition 33 and let themselves “dream again”…
Group of mums speak out against popular clothing chain for selling ‘inappropriate’ baby onsies: ‘Definitely weird and wrong’

July 29, 2026

A group of mothers has criticised a popular clothing chain over baby onesies they say carry inappropriate slogans, calling the designs “definitely weird and wrong” for infant clothing. The mothers raised their concerns publicly, arguing that the wording printed on the garments was unsuitable for babies and questioning the retailer’s judgement in stocking them. The…
Koei Tecmo wants to avoid “dependence on major titles”, though expectations for Wo Long 2 and Attack on Titan 3 are high

July 29, 2026

Koei Tecmo has said it wants to avoid over-relying on a handful of blockbuster releases, aiming instead for a broader mix of major and mid-range games through to the 2027 financial year. The comments came from the Japanese publisher’s first-quarter earnings briefing, as reported by GameBiz, and follow a strong recent run for the company…
Democrats fear viral DSA interview on Fox News will leave a scar

July 29, 2026

Democrats fear that a viral Fox News interview with Democratic Socialists of America co-chair Megan Romer could damage the party by giving Republicans material to portray it as extremist before the midterm elections. The concern reflects a wider dispute over the DSA’s growing influence in Democratic primaries and whether its agenda should be associated with…
Mystery as body of British woman, 38, is found in a suitcase in Athens with US Interpol office helping to identify her

July 29, 2026

The body of a 38-year-old British woman has been found inside a suitcase in Athens, Greece, prompting an investigation involving Interpol’s US office to help establish her identity. The case has drawn international attention as authorities work to confirm who she was and how she died, with police treating the discovery as suspicious. Greek authorities…
‘It sounds good next to almost anything’: how Choosin’ Texas became the biggest song of the year

July 29, 2026

Ella Langley’s country single Choosin’ Texas has spent 15 weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, making it the longest-running chart-topper by a female solo artist for a non-holiday song, surpassing records previously held by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. Unlike those bombastic pop anthems, Langley’s track is a relaxed, retro-tinged two-step,…
Tom Clancy’s Explosive ‘Reacher’ Replacement Is Quietly Becoming Prime Video’s Latest Global Hit

July 29, 2026

Prime Video’s Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War has become a quiet streaming success, extending the life of the CIA analyst franchise after its television series concluded following four seasons. The feature-length film shows that appetite for the character remains strong even without a full series, reinforcing Prime Video’s push to keep established franchises alive…
X-Men ’97 Season 2, Episode 7 Review & Recap: “Strange Land, Savage Heart”

July 29, 2026

IGN’s review of X-Men ’97 Season 2, Episode 7, “Strange Land, Savage Heart,” praises the instalment for finally giving Colossus significant depth, exploring the compassion that defines both him and Nightcrawler. The episode opens with the death of Colossus’s sister Illyana on the day Genosha fell, providing the catalyst for him to abandon Xavier’s dream…