'Xbox Tax' is a theory that there is a bias against Xbox games, particularly when it comes to awards. Some people feel that Xbox exclusives don't get the appreciation that PlayStation and Nintendo ones do. It is a bit of a wild conspiracy theory, but some stand by it.

Whether true or not, there have certainly been some Xbox titles over the years that haven't got as much respect as they deserve. Several are great games that have received a mediocre response or decent titles that have been hated for some reason. Here are a few examples of Xbox games that deserve more appreciation.

Out of all the main Halo games, Guardians is the one that typically gets the most criticism. A lot of the hate is directed at the story. After Cortana's emotional goodbye at the end of Halo 4, she comes back as a villain in Halo 5. Plus, Master Chief shares the main protagonist role with the fairly bland Locke.

These are understandable criticisms. However, as a full game, Halo 5 is still a solid title. The fast-paced movement mechanics are unusual for Halo, but they're fun and feel very satisfying to pull off. On top of that, the general shooting mechanics are as great as always.

Because the Kinect, in general, was never the most popular piece of video game hardware, pretty much every game designed for it has been written off, too. Yet, there are some excellent Kinect games out there.

One of them is Kinect Adventures, which is a really good party game. It contains several different game types, mostly inspired by sports. Each one is generally well-designed and enjoyable to play. It isn't the deepest game by any means, but it is still a good Xbox 360 title.

Recore is a 3D action-adventure game that launched with several big technical issues. These have plagued the game's reputation ever since, even though a Definitive Edition was released that fixed many of those problems. It's a game that deserves a second chance, as it's very different from many other Xbox titles out there.

The story isn't anything special, but the combat and exploration feel original. In battle, you have little robot companions and color-coded weapons to counter specific threats. When you aren't fighting, you have surprisingly well-crafted platforming sections to complete and a few fun puzzles to solve.

The opinion of High on Life is fairly mixed. Some love it, while others hate it. Overall, though, it deserves a bit more love. The game is a very creative shooter that involves talking guns. The fact your weapons speak to you throughout the game is likely what hurts its appeal for some, as you may expect that to be annoying.

However, the guns are generally entertaining and oftentimes very funny. Not all the jokes land, but most do, and they generally add extra personality to the game. Of course, talking weapons isn't the only thing this game has going for it. These weapons also function differently from one another, adding a nice bit of variety to combat.

South of Midnight hasn't received an awful response, but the user reviews for the action-adventure game are rather underwhelming. This is despite it being an excellent game. Much of its greatness comes from its storytelling and world. The game puts you into the shoes of a young woman named Hazel, who gets separated from her mother during a hurricane. Her ultimate goal is to find her, but a lot happens along the way.

Throughout the game, you have to traverse an interesting world that is the contemporary deep south mixed with gothic fantasy. As such, there's no other gaming world quite like it. The core gameplay isn't particularly special, which is likely the reason for some of the more negative reveiws. Yet, the combat and traversal are still solid, even if they aren't entirely original.

Fable 3 doesn't have a horrible reputation, but many fans of the first two Fable titles do look down on it. There are certain things the third game is lacking compared to the others, particularly when it comes to social interactions and the morality system. Yet, just as an individual game, Fable 3 is a really good RPG.

In it, you lead a rebellion against your evil tyrant of a brother, who also happens to be the King. Along the way, you meet some great characters and complete a bunch of creative quests. There is plenty of humor and good writing to appreciate. Also, the combat is enjoyable.

Stalker 2 is one of the best survival games that Xbox has to offer. However, not everyone seems to agree with that, as the general response to the game has been middling. It is a game where you need to survive in the highly toxic exclusion zone in Chornobyl.

You must keep yourself fed and stop yourself from becoming exhausted while also defending yourself against any monsters or hostile humans you find in the zone. Both the gunplay and survival mechanics are good. Plus, the world is visually impressive and interesting to roam around.

Quantum Break received a fairly lukewarm response from players upon release. It deserved better than that, though. It's a unique third-person action-adventure game. The narrative revolves around time travel, and you play as a character with time manipulation powers. Therefore, you can do things like freeze time, speed yourself up, slow enemies down, and a few other things. Mixing these powers with decent third-person shooting mechanics makes for an entertaining shooter.

Speaking of original, something else the game does is include full live-action TV episodes between levels. This may be off-putting for some players, but they're actually well-made and do a good job of furthering the game's story.