Houdini is very difficult.

Oktoberfest is easier.

Hot wheels is easiest.

Legends if Valhalla is the best though.

I only have had Houdini and Oktoberfest in my game room and of the two I preferred Oktoberfest. The playfield layout was more fun. Better modes and overall more of a fun atmosphere. The AP games are really well built with great quality.

Haven’t played Valhalla yet, but the other 3 all have excellent build quality and a lot to do.

Were I in the market for an AP I’d get an Oktoberfest over Houdini and Hot Wheels. It has the most interesting layout and best theme integration of their games thus far to me.

I've played all four a good amount, I'm not a huge fan of any of them. If I did have to choose one of them though I'd go with Houdini

I personally didn't like how Legends of Valhalla played at expo and felt like it was their worst offering. Though I think they had their flipper power turned down too low.

Hope you get to play it again with proper flipper settings. Check out the buffalo pinball stream from Friday night when the flippers were nice and snappy.
There are around 10 arcades across the USA with the game now.

Were there any LOV games at pintastic or iaapa this weekend (or free play florida)? I thought someone was bringing the game.

I have not played Legends of Valhalla yet…..but I really liked Houdini. It definitely has some tough shots. Oktoberfest was much better than I expected. It’s not a great theme for me but the game play is pretty good and I may consider getting one. Hot Wheels felt a little easy but I have only played it a couple times.

If you are worried about losing money buy a used one. You will save a little and it should hold close to what you paid for it or more the way prices are going if you decide to sell it down the road. Only you can decide what theme/gameplay is best for you.

They are all pretty weak as far as pinball machines go. Legends of Vahalla is average at best and I'm being generous in saying that....played about a dozen games of it this weekend at Pintastic New England. Hot Wheels is ok and has the best flow of the four.....Ocktoberfest is poorly designed and it's impossible to keep the ball in the upper half of the playfield. Houdini is a KLUNKFEST! Not for the average pinball player. About the only machine that's worse is Alice Cooper's Nightmare Castle. Do yourself a favor and just enjoy them out in the wild as a barcade or something. None of them are worth the purchase price right now. I will agree the cabinet and quality of the machines seems very good...they just haven't had a hit pinball machine yet. Same thing goes for Spooky with the exception of TNA....that is Spooky's best pin. Halloween.....eh....save your money there....it's not a good playing pin either! If you must spend money on any pinball machine right now and want a NIB go buy yourself a Godzilla.....it's without question Elwin's best pin and when the dust settles from the hype it should be one of the All-Time Great Pinball Machines.....it's really well done....even the Pro Model is worth the asking price.

Poll?

I really liked Houdini as well. Octoberfest and Hot Wheels, meh. Played Legends at expo a good amount and really enjoyed it as well.

Play one with proper power applied to it. Heard those played like shit.

Like them all, but for home Houdini is the most challenging and deep and that is what I have. Liked playing LOV at Expo even with the flipper power low - and may consider the standard version when it comes out.

American makes a quality product. If I had more space and $$, I would pick up an Oktoberfest as well.

They all offer a fun, unique and different experience. Hard to say which one is “best”.

Add a poll if possible

I have owned all AP games except for Valhalla and Oktoberfest was my favorite.

Oktoberfest is my favorite.

I've played all three and
I agree with this ^

I have OKT and Love it!

Great build and factory support
Looking forward to play LOV

Haven't tried LOV yet. Oktoberfest is my favorite, it's a real nice game for home with so many modes and strategies and shots. Great mechs and humor as well. I put Houdini and Hot Wheels about on the same level of enjoyment for me even though they're pretty different. It's fun to wrestle with Houdini, when you're nailing those tight shots it feels like you're accomplishing something rather than just chopping wood by hitting the same orbit or extra wide ramp all game long. Hot Wheels is fast, fun, and the rules and goals are pretty clear; downside maybe it's a bit ugly compared to their others.

Looks like you are near Pittsburgh so helicon brewery now has 2 lov games to play if you get out out that way .

Stern fan boy...
AP builds quality games... choose what suits you best ..
Variety is always good

I’ve played them all, aside from Valhalla.
I liked Houdini, wasn’t a big fan of the others.

Cant go wrong. All so different not really a fair comparison. Edge to Oktoberfest, but it was a theme I always wanted and never thought would happen. Houdini is pure art.

Thanks for the tip. I've been meaning to get there for some time. That's even more reason to make the trip

My vote is for Houdini. It’s tough but a great pin. I personally love the theme and the game is really loaded. Valhalla doesn’t have any mechs so that is a big difference between the two. In my opinion, Houdini falls within the pinball magic category…no pun intended.

Houdini by a leg. If it had a second ramp it would be a top 10 game.

I've played them all on location. Houdini is a brickfest, hate it. Oktoberfest is actually pretty fun. Gets crapped on a lot but of the 4 its my fav. Valhalla was a bit clunky and not too much fun for me - wasn't sure what i was shooting at, and i wasn't' a fan of hot wheels.

On theme Houdini but it's punishing. Dead on shots or brick. On fun factor and playabiltiy - Oktoberfest gets my vote.

Hot Wheels is easy to pick up, and has the most going for it in terms of the backbox animations/ videos. however, Houdini and Oktoberfest are really loaded. I’ve owned a Houdini for 3 years and still enjoy it, and still have not gotten to the final “Master Magician” mode.

IMO the default settings are too hard, especially for how many modes and features the game has. But it’s not any harder to shoot than any number of Williams games.

Setup is REAL important though. See if you can play any of these games at someone’s house before you decide. Location can be hit or miss.

I have Houdini and really like it. Someone once told me "A harder game makes you a better player." For home use it is one you can grow into, although it still intimidates some of my friends. I like the Houdini theme and art better than Oktoberfest and Hot wheels. I haven't played Valhalla yet.

Serious question, aren't all pinballs by design "impossible to keep the ball in the upper half of the playfield"? What exactly do you mean by this. Unless there's an upper playfield with its own set of flippers, just how is one supposed to keep the ball in the upper playfield??

As far as the OPs question, Oktoberfest is a blast when set up properly and given some time to learn the objectives of the game.

I like LOV the best of their games, but there are a ton of other games that I like better than it. Do you want an AP game just to have one for the sake of it? I'd just go with the game you like the most instead of picking one because you don't have a manufacturer represented.

Great choice. I’ve owned a Houdini for over two years now and I absolutely love it. I ordered a LOV. It should be a great addition to my collection. AP is a great company with original themes, quality builds and great customer service. I think you will be very happy with Houdini.

Yes, we had LoV at Pintastic New England...and we had free copies of PinGame Journal #167 with all the coverage of the development of the game, and we had David Fix in there for a seminar about what's happening at American Pinball.

The IAAPA show also had some LoV games.
.................David Marston

I've owned Houdini and did enjoy it a bit but boring rather quick for me. Oktoberfest on the other hand is an absolute pleasure to play with truly unique shots layout is fun.

For me Houdini is one of the best games ever. Just be sure it has all updates on the hardware side.

Something to point out :

- coop on houdini (and the other games of AP)
- unique mechs like the catapult and the stage
- good shaker and knocker integration (bullettime)
- multiball stacking
- 3 magnets that create the illusion of magic
- hard shots but try the catapultshot with the right flipper
- imo the best feeling Orbit shot of all time
- still updates going with new sounds and lightshows and new jokes for the magic head
- powdercoated siderailes, lockbar and legs for free
- Real backglass
- Videomode !!!!
- enjoy the sound with the subwoofer (It's a must have)

I also own hotwheels thats fun too. But the detail put in houdini is massive ! And for full excitement you should at least read the wikipedia article about him. You will get a lot more feeling for this pin after that.

I adore AP's Houdini! It's a very challenging pin but once you accept that you can enjoy the ride.

When I first encountered it I didn't like it and thought the play-field was poorly designed. The more I played it the more I appreciated the layout for it's challenging shots and that crazy fun orbit! All the stage illusions are clever and well thought out in regard to how you 'perform' them- some are super difficult to set up but I love how they play out. Houdini has some amazing multi•ball action IMO!! The magnets that interact with the ball in the lower play-field can be frustrating and at times it feels like the machine is haunted or has a mind of it's own. I appreciate all the history and trivia that is packed into the game, it really feels like a lot of love and passion went into making it. Least that's what I get from it.

I don't own any pins currently but I would highly consider getting a Houdini -feel it's a very deep game in terms of what you can eventually unlock or discover in it and as challenging as it can be I feel it makes me a better player.

The Pintastic fireside chat between David Fix and me has now been posted:

There is a lot of material here that was not in his Pinball Expo presentation!
.................David Marston

HotWheel is great fun! I've owned it for a year and a half now. Co-Op mode is a blast. It's a favorite at my house with my pinhead friends! Great company and quality. Best value in pinball! Light show is fantastic and rules are a lot of fun. I plan to own more American machines for sure!

salut.. j'ai un hot wheels aussi mais je connais pas ce mode, comment on fait pour jouer en coopératif ?

OKT is a great game. Love me some Duck Derby.

I haven't played any of theirs yet, but I'm interested in the upcoming Galactic Tank Force as well as the rumored White Water sequel.

Salut ... this feature was added to Hot Wheels code 21.10.24.

https://www.american-pinball.com/support/updates/

Read the release notes (en anglais, désolé) for information about how to activate the feature.

Enjoy!

What I admire the most about American Pinball is that out of the 4 games mentioned (Oktoberfest, Hot Wheels, LOV and Houdini) I can honestly take a game themed after something that isn't appealing to me in the slightest and still have a blast playing it. Their games just have this charm about them and the company really feels like they give you a bang for your buck.

I LOVE me some Stern machines, let's not get it twisted. However, I have noticed that people who choose to go with Pro models (for whatever reason) are often looked down upon as lesser players or collectors. Is it because they didn't "pony up the dough"? I mention this because I feel AP gets the same shade. They don't have tier offerings (to my knowledge) yet their games just seemed to be fully decked out. Are they for everyone? Of course not! Still, there's just this weird vibe I get from some people. Something akin to "Oh, anyone can buy these for a decent price? They aren't limited? Well you get what you pay for."

All salt aside, IF I had to rank the 4 games, here's my order:

1.) Houdini (The theme, toys, difficulty and mode-based game play just appeals to me)
2.) Oktoberfest (The modes, colors, toys all really tie up a beautiful looking game that I'd normally walk right by after reading the title)
3.) Hot Wheels (This is the game I can see in arcades/on location doing VERY well and would also look great in a lineup. Very appealing to all ages.)
4.) LOV (This is honestly only ranked at the bottom because I have yet to play it. I keep reading good things though! I've watched many game play videos and I'm intrigued despite not being a legend or from Valhalla.)

You make some great points, and I completely agree with your thoughts about people shading AP because of the price…it’s so stupid and elitist. AP makes great, high quality games with excellent customer service for comparatively reasonable prices. They are the way a pinball company SHOULD BE! My only correction to your post would be your ranking of LOV. It’s an incredible game that pumps up the adrenaline every time I play it. I love my Houdini, but LOV tops it. Neither game will ever leave my collection. Viva AP!

I haven't yet managed to find any American Pinball games to play in person, but from all I've read their machines are very well built and high quality. At the same time, it seems like they're still working on breaking into the higher rankings - don't know how much of this is the generic themes, player perception, code not up to snuff, roughness in design, difficulty level, or what. Again, haven't gotten to play one yet but I'd love to try one.

However, I will say their themes remind me more of the themes from back in the 90's when it was the golden age of WPC and few games had licensed themes. I'm OK with that, it helps keep costs down and to be honest while a licensed theme may grab positive attention, it also has higher odds of turning me off than a more generic theme does where my own imagination can help fill out the theme.

I'm looking forward to seeing how Galactic Tank Force turns out (is there any timeframe for this yet?), as well as the rumored Whitewater sequel. I have a Whitewater in my collection and it's an awesome game.

I own Houdini. My take.

Build quality is great. The toys are well integrated. However, the tight shots are very tough. Close range, and narrow passage ways.

My game is a 2021 build (I think). So it has the capacitor / power supply upgrades / sub installed from the factory. Sounds like the older ones suffered from lack of power at times due to the power supply issues.

I enjoy the game. The code is relatively well done, although it isn't as smooth as an older W/B machine. But overall, it's very acceptable.

I can be lukewarm on the machine just due to the difficulty. The tight shots can be punishing. There isn't a lot of flow. The milkcan shot is damn near impossible to hit - - - that one really bothers me, as it's an important shot. The skillshot isn't accurate enough to be repeatable; that might just be my machine, but I cleaned my shooter hardware without any gains.

I can't compare it to a modern Stern machine. The only one I've owned was WOF, which was fun, but felt a lot cheaper than the API machine.

#oktoberfest "Beer, Guns, What could go wrong?"

Oktoberfest.jpg

Monkeys... Monkeys can go very wrong

I own Houdini, Oktoberfest, Hot Wheels, and Valhalla. A lot of the experience comes down to settings, settings, settings.

Houdini: I found the factory default settings a bit difficult and was quickly frustrated by the game, and it does include some very tight shots. A BIG HOWEVER though, after making some basic adjustments to all of the settings to much easier requirements, it's a completely different game and went from not being fun to being a blast. I've had many 30 minute games on it so by no means is it "impossible" or "too hard". Settings, settings, settings. Build quality is very good overall, you can tell that API put time into this title. Catapult launches the ball like 20" in the air to the trunk that opens for it. Reverse flippers on straight jacket mode which is mind boggling. The magnets under the playfield add a haunted/ghostly feel as if the machine is being controlled by an unknown force. Very smooth left and right orbit shot. Smooth plastic ramp that is very makable. Also a couple a very tight shots like the Inner Loop or Milkcan Loop. As these shots are notably more difficult due to the narrow width of the lanes, I've seen good pinball players hit these 2 shots over and over again with no issue. So, there you go. If anything, I think it improves your skill by forcing you to calculate where the ball releases off the flipper and improves the player's timing. It has only made me a better as a player, and it will probably do the same for you.
I know I've left things out but these are the main things I felt should be pointed out on Houdini.
It's a quality build, and also sounds great with an aftermarket subwoofer wired into the game.
Beautiful cabinet and playfield too.

Oktoberfest: it has a beautiful playfield packed with interesting artwork and the machine is loaded with ramps and fun things to do. I personally think API invested the most time in designing and building this title. It's just fun.
The huge Corkscrew rollercoaster ramp is a satisfying ramp to climb and lock and has a fun multiball mode. There are 14 tents to try and complete and like I said so so much to do. The opening and closing bar shot is cool. Definitely worth playing one that has been properly set up and adusted. The factory settings are easier than Houdini, but it can be set to even easier, which I'd recommend so you can see more of what the game has to offer. The extra Mag Nab button is alot of fun to control when the ball stops on certain magnets. Quality build like Houdini or even better. Settings, settings, settings!

Hot Wheels: I feel that this game has many pinball basics, a fun theme for the family, and is the best bang for your buck money-wise. I feel that less time may have been put into designing this machine than Houdini or Oktoberfest, which is surprising for licensed theme. Having said that, it shouldn't take anything away from the game, the game is still challenging, has bosses to beat, and offers many other cool car modes like Car Chaos and Loop Crash Multiball where the ball hits into another ball set on a magnet causing the knocker to hit (car crash). And of course, there's Red Line Mania where the whole machine goes dark for 5-10 seconds and comes back on with red lighting and offers a timed multiball with certain shots you can make for high rewards. So, as the game may not seem "super deep", it's got a lot going on and is worth putting time on. Fast flowing game.

Legends of Valhalla: a viking theme all about defeating legendary enemies. Mag-Nab button is fun for using on Thor's hammer. There are 3 metal ramps, and the look like swords which is cool. 3 flipper game which gives it some more depth. It's not overly complicated to play, the shots and design are generally straightforward. The most recent code offers a jukebox option so you can turn the game on when idle and have it play the songs in background. The music was professionally done by "Two Steps From Hell" which is basically a real orchestra. So, it's a nice treat that the game offers, immersive music.
Only 500 of the Deluxe Limited Edition were made, and they include golden powder coated rails, lockbar and legs, real backglass, lighter topper, side art blades, knocker, Shaker. Etc
It's a fun game that you may not commonly see, so make sure to check it out and put some time on it. These titles were designed by Riot Pinball and built by American Pinball which is unique in it's own way.