I've never seen Adventure!, so I can't render any opinion on it. I'd be willing to bet, though, that the Storyteller system would translate _very_ nicely to pulp, though.
My understanding is that Exalted compares to D&D pretty much in the same way that Final Fantasy compares to Baldur's Gate. Depending on your view of Anime and related things, you'll probably prefer one or the other. YMMV, but I wouldn't touch Exalted.
I've heard good things about Aberrant, but never had a chance to look at it.
Now, the WoD....
_Any_ of the core games can be played with just the core book just fine. If you decide you like the game, then start picking up other books. Crossovers are definitely an advanced trick.
What game is best is very subjective. Personally, I like Vampire and Mage best and think Werewolf is completely uninspired and pointless, despite having read 8-10 sourcebooks for it.
Hunter is a good choice for new WoD players, as complete ignorance is assumed. I'm not sure about the long-term playability of the game, though. You can only fight the "unknown" for so long before it ceases to be the "unknown". I think you'd get your money's worth from the core book, though.
Vampire is another good game to start with. Just play newly created vampires and go from there -- this is what I did in the first V:tM game I ran and it still ranks as one of the top 2 or 3 campaigns I've ever done. Of course, I have a real fetish for vampires, so I maybe put a bit more oomph into it.
Mage is an awesome game with probably the most potential of all the WoD games. Unfortunately, it has a magic system that, by its very nature, will always be ambiguous, difficult to referee, and easily exploited by powergamers -- such is the pitfall of the notion that reality is what you make it. If you're an experienced gamer in general, then this is probably a game that you'll be fine with. Otherwise, tread cautiously.
If you're well read in philosophy, Mage is the one you want. Don't worry if you hate philosophy, I know people who wouldn't know Plato from Play-doh that think Mage is the best WoD game.
I usually sum up Werewolf as "Greenpeace with teeth and claws." The entire game is based on the idea the forces of creation and destruction are completely insane; the scourge of humanity has overstepped its bounds and needs to be culled; cities are scabs that blaspheme Gaia; and the end is coming and the best you can do is delay it a few decades. If you like mindless killing, though, this game isn't bad -- you can be like the Punisher with a Detect Evil spell.
Changeling is... different. You live in two different worlds simultaneously. One is the normal world. The other is like D&D on acid. The game has a lot of potential. You can either do something that is more or less D&D with some odd side-trips to the modern world, or you could do something that is a lot more complex and surreal.
Demon looks interesting. If you're a strong Christian, I'd probably stay away from it, though. I'm still trying to decide if it could be played without being at least borderline blasphemous.
So... My picks are Hunter, Vampire, or Mage. Hunter would be the best for a beer-and-pretzels game or something with more of a dungeon-crawl feel (but it could be more). Vampire gives a great range of play (politics, combat, and philosophy) without requiring any particular facet, and it's got a simple ruleset. Mage is, IMHO, the most robust and flexible game, but it's got a complicated mechanic.
