I've owned Houdini about a year and a half, AIQ LE for 3-4 months. Really hard to compare. Houdini is much lighter in tone even though the humor is mostly dark. Avengers is very generic superhero shit. Houdini has a ton of personality and AIQ honestly has next to none. Rules wise, Houdini is pretty deep, AIQ more so, maybe even too deep. I'm still half lost, but I haven't really made a huge attempt to learn all the rules yet.
Shooting wise, I like Houdini's shots even though they all feel pretty similar. It's tough, but you have to play cautiously with a lot of trap and aim. And yeah, the flippers can be a bit mushy after a while or during a long multiball. AIQ is a far better shooter. Some of my favorite ramps on any pin ever made, every inch of the table is put to good use, it's fast but not impossibly so, the lights give very clear indications for what to do. It's got one of the best layouts in modern pins, imo. Maybe *the* best.
TL;DR: Houdini has far better personality and humor, AIQ is the better shooter.
