These games get a bad rap sometimes but they're not bad at all, especially now that you can pick them up used for $5. Mischief Makers is a very average platformer but it's a solid game and I like Yoshi's Story despite some people's complaint that it's too "cutesy". All of these games are a nice change of pace from the blood and guts of other games.
I would also recommend the oft overlooked Blast Corps and Mega Man 64.