ResidentLeever: Castlevania II: Belmont's Revenge
dtgreene: I'd argue that Castlevania II: Simon's Quest (which, interestingly enough, is actually available on GOG.com) deserves that title more.
I would also put the SaGa series, as a whole, on the list.
Could also mention:
* Final Fantasy 2 (the game does have major flaws, but it also got many things right, and no, attacking your allies for HP boosts isn't the best strategy in this game)
* Final Fantasy 5 (it's much better than its successor)
* Zelda 2: The Adventure of Link
* Zelda: Majora's Mask (note that this game is much slower paced than Zelda 2)
Edit: I could also add Super Mario Bros. 2 (Japan) to the list, and perhaps Super Mario (2) USA as well.
That is true with zelda 2 and mario 2, those are my favorite though. Mario 2 actually has a good story to it haha, i didnt see the ending coming back when i beat it. Zelda 2 i really liked better than one. It was closer to a pc rpg at the time, i never did beat it though that one is a tough game.