[kitroebuck]

Wizards and Warriors 3 is not a very good game, but it has an early Rare vibe that I enjoy due in large part to the great David Wise soundtrack.

If you can hang with an RPG, the NES version of Ultima IV is surprisingly good. Garriot himself praised it for being the most accessible version of the game. It plays like Dragon Quest, but it's completely open right from the start. The graphics are masterfully done as well, particularly the tilesets. Battles are tedious, though (as you'd expect.)

Crystalis, on the other hand, is so much fun. It even makes grinding for money fun.

Blaster Master is the best Metroid-type game on the NES. I like its structure, the way the levels link together non-linearly, and the way you have to really look for the boss by checking all the little overhead sections. Granted, I know the whole game by heart, but it was great learning it. Almost Souls-like in that way(!?)