A 250-400 dollar display will have its limits no matter how wonderful it is purported to be.
A 27" and above takes a little discipline because if you sit close to it you will definitely notice a small amount of brightness loss at each edge.
I came from an old viewsonic 27 lcd panel to an asus 32" curved 1440p 165 hz(VG32VQ1B) , and once I got my eyes the correct distance from the thing it has stunned me every day for the last few months I have been on it. It is a TN panel, it is way brighter than my old panel, it is sharp as a tack, and fast.
I only play a few AAA titles, and e-sports gaming like CSGO, pubg are not my thing. But if they were, I think I'd be okay(cheaper ips panels aren't made for speed, regardless of refresh rate).
As you mention, the choices are overwhelming. I really only grabbed this as a black friday deal as it was too good to turn down and after a month of research I had it on my short list when it came up.