) wait for Toshiba's SED TV's to come out in Fall 2006. They have refresh rates of <1ms (great for gaming), contrast ratios of 100,000:1, power consumption of 1/3 current Plasmas, and thicknesses of 2" or less. These will be the "best" soon because they take all the good stuff from CRT's and cram it all in a package thinner than a plasma TV.
But that's a like a Ferrari that mated with a Hummer. It does everything. If you can't squeeze the pricetag though, you've answered one of Twisted's answers... cheaper is better. Now, onto those other questions.
Honestly, I hate playing games on a LCD TV. And I can't afford more than $1000 worth of television, so I went Sammy Slimfit 30". Fantastic TV for the price. Games play great on it. If you want bigger, get a DLP. I hear they are slick too.