I vote graphical with an ASCII tileset. That way the programmers don't have to waste time rewriting the code later when the
unwashed masses beloved community demand tilesets, and that'll make it easy for the community to produce their own tilesets that can be dropped right into the games. As far as I know, T4 should currently support that.
I don't really care either way about graphics vs ASCII, but I do care about the programmers focusing on content, world building, and making shit work. Give the community the framework to make shit pretty, and if they don't, they've got no one to complain to than themselves.
Crime Families
Yep. We need this too. In fact, we also need Gangs. And they honestly don't have to be all that different.
For example, a Crime Family is basically a large, old, and heavily entrenched Gang that uses legitimate business activities in order hide and fund criminal activity.
In the world, there should be a few Crime Families, that are feuding with each-other. Join one (which should be a long, difficult process more suited to a late game, established character), and you get a bunch of nice bonuses (which should either be unavailable elsewhere, or very, very difficult to procure outside of the family), some restrictions that you'll need to abide by (don't fuck over another member of the family, don't snitch on the family, don't do anything to piss off the Don, perhaps some Behavioral restrictions (like the Don can't stand criminals that hurt women, or kids, and he has your legs broken if you fuck up)), and some penalties (frosty relations with other Gangs and families, hostile relations with others, FBI more likely to know of you, even if they don't know your crimes, etc).
Below the families would be Gangs, the bigger/more successful/better established ones being more powerful and harder to join. There would be similar benefits and penalties to these.
And you should totally be able to start your own gang (vigilante group coughIamBatmancough), and lead your Brothas and Sistas to take over the streets from your rivals.
I imagine a deep, well built influence/relation system would make this awesome (example: Performing X crime gets you street cred with Gang A, pisses off Family B, attracts potential Gangbanger C, and alienates current Gang Member D). I'd recommend using an in-engine faction system, and define what each faction likes/dislikes. Then all you have to do is assign those factions to NPCs.
Edit: Jesus, six replys since I started writing this!? Fuck it, I'm posting this first, then I'll read 'em.