Why did Mario Party 8 see such a large increase from the Gamecube games?

[09tarheel]

I agree with norlead, all those factors have played a part. But also like he pointed out, it would have a huge increase even if another entry launched a year later. So I think it is between 2 & 4 is the main reason for the increase. Personally I would go with 2, the Wii Remote is seemingly a perfect fit for the franchise, although I do feel it was a little under utilized in Mario Party 8.