houdini is awesome. if you are just getting one game its hard to decide. there comes a point when owning just one game there is no "ultimate" game that beats the rest thats why so many people own many games. each are good for their own reasons.
get the houdini. yes shots are tight but they will come to you, and anyone, even a new player can get seance. its just flailing at targets that lights it.
if you get bored of it sell it and grab another game, you arent gonna lose money.

gotg is great and earns great (speaking from ownership). all ages play it, lots to do, great sound, great display action. you won't go wrong.
i do love houdini as mentioned above but in your case id chose GOTG.

grab it!.

dont get any mods. the toy potc mods with cannons on lane guides etc, if balls jump up they will get stuck. keep the game stock. mods don't help game play. they create issues when fixing, lifting playfields, etc. Maybe a color dmd. nothing else is needed.