Please allow me to gush for just a moment, and witness a brief glimpse at just how big a nerd I am.

For years now I have been complaining that Spider-man deserves better video games, and we have the technology. Such a game needs Grand Theft Auto-style roaming capabilities, and a feeling like you’re actually making a difference in the environment. (I also thought it would be neat if you were framed for a crime and had to do some wall-clinging stealth action scenes to find evidence to prove your innocence, but my friends assure me that Spider-man is only fun to play when he is swinging, jumping, and punching.)

Imagine my secret joy, then, when marketing materials for the new Spider-man game surfaced, claiming that it will offer free-roaming options and an unprecedented level of control, “including, for the first time, control over the game’s direction and outcome. Choose how Spider-man fights, which powers to upgrade, who in the Marvel universe to fight with or against, and the fate of New York city itself.”

Hey, that sounds like a cross between Spider-man, Grand Theft Auto, and Mass Effect—downright dorkalicious. My thumbs twitch in anticipation.

Then I noticed that the official site for the game had a countdown clock set for 13 days from now, the title was nowhere to be seen on Amazon, and it’s still “Rating Pending.” This led me to recall that Spider-man games have historically been kind of crappy, have failed to capitalize on the free-roaming thing despite trying, and generally should be regarded with wariness instead of excitement.

And then Tony pointed out that the countdown clock is probably just counting down to another trailer, as they’re not dumb enough to release this in the same week as a new GTA game and a new Mario game. (Plus the flyer that announced the game notes that it’ll be out in fall, and game stores are now taking pre-orders.) And wait—didn’t Activision devs say they felt rushed into making a Spider-man 3 movie tie-in game, and wanted more time to make the game they wanted to make all along? Whew! Back to fanboy mode.

That said, if this game disappoints me, I’m going to hunt down Stan Lee and give him a wedgie while shouting “EXCELSIOR!” I know it’s not really his fault if it sucks, but it’ll probably make me feel better.