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

[okr]

@9tarheel: That's because the mainstream and especially the mass media weren't interested in the slightest in N64, GC or their respective games.

Before DS and Wii were released, Playstation 2 and Gameboy were the only systems ever known to mass media and "causal" or "non-gamers" (see Singstar). I know some people who still call every console a playstation and every handheld a gameboy (but they are fewer than 3 years ago).