Quoted from wesman:

Bad press...? Post launch or pre?

Quoted from konjurer:

I haven't played POTC yet and it looks like a great game. Ultimately, I went with Houdini after playing it and knew that it was a great fit for me.
* Magic as a theme appealed to me more than pirates. I still love pirates but not as much as magic.
* The Balcer design is well done - not everyone agrees but that's the case with most machines - rarely is there universal agreement. I think its fresh and fun. For example, the criss-crossing shots through the pops are very clever and the rules utilize those shots well.
* The features and build quality are very comparable to a JJP machine.
* I'm a total value shopper! JJP prices me out of the market. I really wanted a Dialed In but even Houdini at $7000 was pushing the limits of my NIB budget.
* Houdini code is super deep yet approachable - I'm not even close to getting to a wizard mode yet after 9 months.
* Houdini art package is beautiful. That is always the first thing people comment on when they first see my Houdini - how freaking cool it looks. I think POTC is pretty good looking as well.
* The toys in Houdini appealed to me. I loved the stage and the catapult into the trunk.
The complaints about tight shots are overblown. Shots on my KISS are more tight than Houdini and few people bitch about tight shots on KISS. Are you a person that wants all shots to be wide open and easy? Or do you want a game where there are a couple shots that are challenging? If you want a game that is deep and that you can grow into, Houdini's a great option.

Quoted from IdahoRealtor:

Seems to me a lot of people, skill-wise, can't handle the somewhat difficult layout of Houdini and instead of acknowledging their lack of aim they prefer to blame the pin. "Shots too tight". "Bad geometry". "Broken layout". Blah, blah, blah. Maybe they just need to play better. It's no cream puff fan layout, but it's not THAT hard. Most in our league are able to experience long games, play multiple modes, lock 3 balls, etc. And no shot on Houdini is as tight as the Rocket shot on Guardians. I welcome the challenge of pins with a few tight shots and I hope manufacturers aren't put off from making them due to the "Wah! It's too hard" backlash Houdini received.