Good starting JRPG for a noob

[skyknight]

Nothing wrong going with Chrono Trigger, not that hard if you are paying attention to several boss fights, and does have a strong replay value - definitely one of the greatest games (not limited to RPG category). Try finding one for the DS, that has the anime cut scenes from the PS1 Anthology collection without the annoying loading time, and some minor extras. The dual screen does allow you to custom the battle info.

[Zevin_Mars]

Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age. These more or less exist to act as introductory games to the genre.

Shadow Hearts and Shadow Heart Covenant are also good if you can find them.

I see a lot of recommendations of Chrono Trigger too that bears repeating.

[jinx]

Earthbound is the game that sparked my interest in the turn based RPG genre.

Chrono Trigger was my second RPG, and I fell in love with the Active battle system. I'll add one more +1 to this game. Even if it's hard to get into at first, you'll have a hard time pulling away from it after a while. Great story with fantastic gameplay.

The next year I managed to purchase a copy of Super Mario RPG from my local rental store, and had a hard time getting away from that one too. It was hard for me to get into it as a id, but once I got used to the system I couldn't wait to see what happened next.Some great characters in that game that never appeared in the Mario universe again. Such a shame.

I'll back Golden Sun and Golden Sun: The Lost Age as great gateways into the genre as well, as this was the first for a few of my friends when I was in school. They seem perfect for beginners, and try not to over-complicate things.

Unfortunately, I don't have anything to add as all the suggestions so far have been great.
Actually, I just noticed how much I really love these types of games. I've never really stopped to think about it before.

[kelsoanim]

Wanted to give an update here. I beat Golden Sun: Dark Dawn last week. I thought it was decent, but I really think the Psi power "puzzles" held the game back rather than added interest. They just weren't fun after a while. The only time I felt like I had to think about them was in the last dungeon heading up to the final area (the four elemental puzzles). I think the puzzles were just filler and the game would have been half as long with out them. I did really enjoy the djinn and summoning system. Took a different sort of planning to use their buffs and stack them up to do the right summons, especially in the final battle.

I started Chrono Trigger over the weekend. I'm about 5 hours in. I can definitely see why every one loves the game. The mechanics are fun, the characters already likable and the story and pacing are great. It took me a bit to get into and figure out the active battle system but I think I've got it now. I'm sure I will get better as the game progresses too. You know it's a great game when you can't wait to figure out what where you will travel to and what will happen next.

It's exciting to start playing these types of games. Growing up I avoided them and only played platformers and action games. I feel like I've just discovered a whole new console full of games I want to play. It's that same fuzzy feeling you got as a kid when a new awesome game came out that you just had to stay up all night playing. I'm glad I took the plunge.

[skyknight]

Even after you beat the game, there's New Game +, where you can unlock several different endings.

[TheBrick]

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne/The 7th Saga!!!!!

Realistically though, I started out with Pokemon and Dragon Warrior I & II/III on the GBC, and look where I am now; posting on some random internet forum about everything that goes on in my life outside a computer

[Violent By Design]

Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne/The 7th Saga!!!!!

Realistically though, I started out with Pokemon and Dragon Warrior I & II/III on the GBC, and look where I am now; posting on some random internet forum about everything that goes on in my life outside a computer

How does Dragon Warrior 1-3 on GBC compare to console counter parts, are they ports?

[BoneSnapDeez]

In all seriousness, The 7th Saga is difficult but it's not as insane as some folks make it out to be.

It's entirely turn-based so theoretically anyone could beat it with enough willpower and patience. The problem is that the game wears on your patience, as it requires lots of money/exp grinding and battles with regular enemies can be hard as hell. It's also possible to get stuck in unwinnable situations, though it's pretty rare.

I think a lot of people fail at The 7th Saga because they simply don't know how to play the game. It's one of the few classic RPGs (or any RPGs for that matter) where you must defend during battle if you expect to make it out alive. The average person with a cart-only game w/ no instructions isn't gonna figure that out, as "defend" is a throwaway option in nearly every other similar game.

If someone is into really balls-hard games and wants to look into JRPGs, The 7th Saga wouldn't be a bad place to start at all.

Oh and I really like the game - in case you couldn't tell.

[MrPopo]

How does Dragon Warrior 1-3 on GBC compare to console counter parts, are they ports?

Enhanced ports. 1&2 are MUCH better on the GBC and I'd recommend you play those versions over the original NES. 3 can go either way, as at that point they'd started to refine things in NES land.

[Ack]

I started with Final Fantasy VI and never looked back. At the time, parts of it were very tough, but I now can beat it with no issue. Even the bonus content in the GBA port wasn't terribly hard for me.

And I have to beat a Mega Man X RPG on the pS2 that a coworker wants me to play, but I am debating tackling 7th Saga sometime soon.