I'd actually argue that Xenoblade is a terrible choice for newcomers. It's so complex that I've seen hardcore RPG veterans struggle to get a good grasp of everything, and it's not exactly friendly in how it teaches you things - you often have to learn systems during difficult boss battles, for instance. Sure, you don't need to understand everything to wobble through the game, but I've found it certainly helps, especially if you don't do side quests. It's also a very long game, and if you put it down for a long time, you're gonna have to go through the journal for quite a while to relearn everything, provided you even remember that exists.

Then there's the simple fact that the world is huge and kinda easy to get lost in (even with a map, I struggled to get my bearings in some areas, like the knee, where everything kinda looks the same and there's not enough draw distance to know what's up ahead), and full of powerful monsters that you're not always supposed to fight. I'm not just talking about the guys who are way above your level, either - I once encountered a level 12 monster in a cave that was harder than the local boss, when I was roughly around the same level as it.

Again, I'd sooner recommend Paper Mario or Chrono Trigger to a noobie than a complex game like Xenoblade that requires some amount of experience with the genre.

I don't think Xenoblade is THAT bad, if only because the first 3 hours of the game contains approximately 50 billion tutorial screens (that you can re-read later even!)

I don't play RPGs anymore due to my gaming tastes changing drastically after some life-changing events, but that's all I used to play in the snes/PS1 days (really some of the genre's heyday)

Hearing your story I would recommend 2 games I think you will like: Wii VC is the easiest way to get Final Fantasy III (VI). This game is a masterpiece among RPGs with medium difficulty and more online resources for help than you can fathom.

Second, track down a copy of Golden Sun for DS and play it on your 3DS. It's predecessors are handheld RPG gold in terms of its accessibility and charm. I never played the DS title but I did play the GBA version so I imagine if its got even some of the magic of the GBA ones it should be good!

Anyway, Golden Sun series and FF III (IV) are two things you might really enjoy

The DS Golden Sun isn't really anything new compared to the GBA games, but it is much much easier. Not only can every random encounter (and even some boss fights) be won by just not being underleveled and using basic attacks with your party, but the puzzles are also no longer grid based so you can use the Move Psynergy from whatever angle you want. Dungeon progression and fighting was way too easy in my opinion, even a complete newcomer to JRPG's might find the formula boring. It's a shame too, because the skill and class system was as robust as ever.

Golden Sun GBA is a fantastic introduction though. Just be careful not to get The Lost Age instead - it's a direct sequel which assumes knowledge of the previous game while also having an hour long exposition at the beginning before anything happens. It's also a lot harder than the first.

I guess it depends on how you learn. I know I find lots of tutorials very confusing and tend to just disregard them. But I suppose that's not the case for everyone...

I try pretty hard to read every piece of text in every game I play. And that includes Elder Scrolls games so this is NOTHING.

Dragon Quest: Sentinels of the Starry Skies will blow you mind. That game is for DS.

Earthbound is the ultimate entry-level rpg and the only thing worth looking at on the wii u eshop, but it's DEFINITELY worth it, and it will be the best $10 you spend this console generation. It's got an unforgettable story and simple battles. I would follow up and play mother 3, which introduces a rhythm based attack system and slightly more advanced battling. Then after mother 3, I would say just about anything but the old fire emblem games. Awakening maybe because it wasn't that complicated.

Advice for a JRPG noob?

Buy a PS1. Buy Legend of Legaia. Done.

Buying a PS1 isn't practical for various reasons I'm afraid. Eventually maybe able to get a Vita for some PS1 classics, but it seems that there's plenty on Nintendo systems to keep me going till/if then?

If you ever seriously get into JRPG's you will one day invest in some Sony platforms.

Buying PS1 is pretty pointless. If you are willing to buy another console, go with PS3 - you can play all PS1 games you can find on it, and you have some nice JRPGs or strategy games at your disposal, like Resonance of Fate, Eternal Sonata, Valkyria Chronicles or Disgaea series

I guess we just have to agree to disagree.

So... why would you buy PS1, when PS3 has no problems whatsoever with PS1 games, you can play new games and have blu-ray player? It is that vs PS1 games only.

Of course, you have much cheaper alternative - that is PSP. You can get Tactics Ogre, FF Tactis (or not? can't remember), Persona games

I recommend Dragon Quest IV but any Dragon Quest is great too but that 1 is just my favorite.

Dragon Quest IV eases you into the basics of RPGs like no other. I can't believe I forgot about it. I recommend that game above all else.

As stupid as it sounds, I'd recommend the older Final Fantasy games, since they are pretty much the vanilla RPGs. In the long run, however, I don't think they're as memorable as many other titles, mainly because the FF series never went beyond being the vanilla RPG (in my opinion at least).

@ELI-ASH Is DQIV the game 'Chapters of the Chosen' which is on DS? I was leaning towards Dragon Quest IX because it supposedly made concessions to newbies like non-random encounters, but perhaps I should reconsider?

You can get a PS1 (And tons of its seemingly unlimited library of masterpieces) for next to nothing online... A system could hardly be more practical to collect for. :S