Well the 1985 poll was such a landslide. http://gamrconnect.vgchartz.com/thread.php?id=165208&page=1 How about a more competitive year?

Those are some great games listed there. In the end I voted for Punch Out, because I think back in 1985 it would have been the only game that I would have been good at and, thus, appreciated. For example, that first Castlevania game was balls-bustingly hard, and for that reason I don't think many people would have appreciated how good it was until later on in their gaming life/development - I know I didn't.

Zelda, no doubt

For me it's metroid. I've beaten every game on this list except castlevania, spyhunter, and mega man. Although I love tloz, I never tire of Metroid. If it werent for the dungeon music in tloz i would have chosen it.

Ding Dangit I just realized

Zelda should win it easily. If at least Contra was in the poll...

tloz will win.  but it won't be 82-6 that was just wrong.

Even though I enjoy the Metroid series as a whole more than Zelda, the original LOZ is possibly up there with MM and ALTTP as my favorite Zelda game. The open world structure is quite amazing. Hope Zelda returns to its roots.

I have to go with Mike Tyson's Punch Out it was the most fun. Also although it didn't come out in the states until 1990 Dragon Quest/Warrior II is one of the best NES games of 1987.

Well, if we want to get technical, The Legend of Zelda was released in 1986 (Japan) and '87 in the west, same as Metroid which actually came out in Europe in '88 if you count... er... ah, who cares - Zelda is definitely the best.

Every game on the poll is actually pretty decent. Zelda, Metroid and Mike Tyson's Punch Out are easily the best, but I loved Rygar and Kid Icarus as well.

I also really enjoyed Mega Man and Castlevania despite often wanting to throw my controller at the screen while playing them.