I won't comment on WoW because I think it has valid reasons to prove alienating to people. Your comments are interesting and it's similar to some other things I've observed.

I never understood why RPG's with a D&D "feel" to them are unappealing to some. D&D is the origin of role-playing, and still to this day is one of the most flexible RPG systems standing, with a huge variety of settings and types of narratives available for a player to experience and undergo. Even a JRPG series like Dragon Quest, Tales, or Final Fantasy draws heavily from D&D and its various settings, and the major differences in style is more visual than anything. D&D gives profound flexibility in character and world building, and some of the most satisfying and, interestingly enough, original stories I have played were in D&D sessions.

I notice a lot of JRPG fans are turned off by WRPG's. Mayhaps they appear too stat-based, or too dark and cynical, or mayhaps it's the non-linear narrative giving an impression of a lack of resonance or emotional weight or complexity. Maybe it's the relatively formulaic settings. Yes, this is a subgenre known for its staggering reliance on numbers, stats, and variables. It is a genre that tends to use fantasy tropes well-established in fantasy conventions. It is a genre with open-ended narratives.

However, WRPG's have, especially in the late-90's to early 2000's, have provided us with some of the most thoughtful, engaging, and unique stories in gaming and, I would argue in some cases, all of fiction.

Take Planescape: Torment, one of my favorites. This is a game that is at least give or take 70% dialogue and exploration, arguably more of an adventure game than an RPG. The character advancement is surprisingly simple, if very open-ended. This is a game that you can progress not at all underleveled without ever technically entering combat. The Planescape setting is incredibly interesting, with the game's central location of Sigil being quite twisted, with an immensely well-developed cast of characters both magical and macabre.

The story in this game is incredible and doesn't sacrifice anything by being non-linear. In fact, the non-linearity actually serves to reinforce the game's themes. The story is that you play a man who awakes in a mortuary grotesquely covered in scars and tattoos, with no memory of who you are or what your name is. Whenever you die you just wake up just as you were. You must search for your lost memories and your identity. What you find is fascinatingly haunting, as your past incarnations run the gamut and have had some powerful and almost unimaginable effects on the game's world and the people in it.

The characters that can join your party are all extremely detailed, developed, and original, with some truly heartbreaking moments between them and The Nameless One (your main character). The game's incredible writing (one advantage the WRPG has is it is written in my native tongue so there are rarely spotty translations unless it's German or something), haunting atmosphere, and great voice-acting serves to enhance the sheer power of mood this game possesses.

So, if you ever try one WRPG in your life, try Torment. It's a philosophical, metaphysical gaming experience. There is truly nothing like it, and is a game that, unfortunately, JRPG's have yet to include something quite like in their ranks.