Yea, people are stupid, like they just cant deal with a black protangonist from a Black Mafia Family out for revenge against the Italian Mafia. While it slightly diverges from the plots of previous games, you could tell from the very first game that this was the route they'd be taking throughout the series. I don't think the game is meant to glorify the mob, and near the end of every game you end up being in the cross hairs of those guys and killing them for your own survival. So really the only thing different is that you aren't aspiring to join an Italian Crime Family from the jump. Lincoln seems to already have had ties to the Robinson Black Mafia Family before he leaves for Vietnam, and he comes back but they inevitably succumb in a war with the Italians. Lincoln lives and creates his own multi ethnic crime family which consists of one Vito Scaletta (the old guy with the grey hair and scar on his face.) to combat the Italian mob. People really need to get over the race aspect.