Well, I'd have to say that you're in the minority there. There was nothing generic about it, and there's nothing generic about mode-7 racing games like F-Zero. Mode 7 was amazing for its time, and so were the first two Ninja Gaiden games on the NES.
The nes Gaiden games were the first home console games to introduce cinema style scenes on home consoles (well, the first to do it right, at least).
The action was fast, the spells were cool, the music was excellent. Climbing, flipping, while shooting different kinds of magic, just trying to survive - with excellent graphics. Not to forget a real cool storyline.
And I've played Revenge of Shinobi, and no - It is not "years ahead" of Ninja Gaiden.
So, I guess I'm done here. Feel free to continue, because I like debate (and no, I'm not arguing, I'm just proving that I'm right).