Welcome to Geekhack!
You've heard a lot of people's opinions. The thing is that everyone is different, and has their own likes and dislikes.
Ideally you'd find a local retailer, or a generous friend, who will let you try keyboards with various switches so you can get the feel of them.
I went with blues originally, but ended up finding them way too light, and now I prefer blacks or greens. Or buckling spring
When looking for a keyboard, try to find one with a standard layout, the bottom row (with Ctrl/Alt/space etc.) in particular, as it will make it so much easier to find a replacement keycap set.
Variable Topre keyboards are apparently good for people who just type, but for gaming they are terrible as most people don't have their hand in touch-typing position when gaming. You can also get evenly weighted Topre keyboards, 45g all over or 55g all over. HHKB if 45g all over, although I have a feeling that I'd prefer 55g.
For keycap sets, have a look through the
group buys area - there are a few fantastic buys on at the moment!