Street Fighter IV is shaping up to prove that you can make an artistic statement, make money, and make the fans happy all at once. Once-skeptical gamers embraced the arcade edition, a deft blend of archetypal gameplay with a justifiable use of modern hardware. The 360 version will be here on February 17, packed with extra goodies for home players such as extended story cinemas and many more playable characters — but they mean nothing if the home version’s core game isn’t as thrilling as the coin-op version’s.

Our demo-like Japanese build was marked “Trial,” and single-player contests ended after just three matches. Only a handful of backgrounds were on display, but they included a snowy trainyard, the interior of an old temple, and a whiskey distillery. Arenas aren’t necessarily destructible, but the fighting action will affect what happens in the background — for instance, a rack of whiskey barrels shakes violently when the action gets close, and will eventually topple and fall apart. More impressive are the facial animations, which really bring the characters to life. Rufus’ eyes bug out all goofylike. Chun-Li grimaces, teeth gritted, as Ken gleefully wallops her with a vicious uppercut. After winning a match, amnesiac Abel looks at his own fists with confusion and awe, as if asking his hands how they learned to hurt people like that. These little touches convey a lot more depth than we expected.

Street Fighter IV’s striking hand-drawn look not only makes the game graphically unique, but it also makes a subtle statement: This is a game, but should also be considered an artistic expression. The smoothly animated 3D models and painted textures bring the series into the modern era (many people in the office did a double-take when they saw the game running), but the gameplay’s purely a 2D affair, borrowing technique from Street Fighters past. Throw an opponent by tapping both weak attack buttons, taunt with both strongs, and hit both medium attacks simultaneously for a Focus Attack, which is new for SFIV. It’s a charge-style move that absorbs whatever’s incoming and winds up for a counterattack, while replenishing the health that was lost during the absorption. It’s supposed to train players to read their opponents rather than just relying on brute offense. It works — but it’s a new discipline and will take a little time to add to your arsenal.

Abel’s heavy punches and Crimson Viper’s flame kicks and electrical-shock attacks left us feeling that the new kids will be able to hold their own just fine, while goofy characters like Rufus — a rotund braggart who wants to prove he’s better than Ken Masters — and the frying pan–wielding luchador El Fuerte suggest that it’s not all serious business. The joy of Street Fighter has not been forgotten here: the game is fast and fun as hell, and so far none of that has been lost in its translation from arcade to 360.

Somewhere among all this pugilism is — and we almost hate to say it, because of the weepy can of worms it opens — emotion. It’s more than just on the characters’ faces; the whole game so far looks and feels like a labor of love, truly by Street Fighter fans for Street Fighter fans. Not that we’re playing Street Fighter IV for a gripping plot or a chance to cry into a hanky, but it’s nice to see the characters and universe that so many have come to adore treated with respect, like they mean something. Because after more than 15 years, they do.