"This is a story that was printed in the special book Monad: The Secret Files, that was released several months after the release of the game. It is neither prequel nor epilogue, but a story set between the events of the game."
From the same company that put the cinematic style above gameplay for RPGs? From the same company that in fact did a long CGI movie called Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children?
I mean, is not like Square Enix cares to make a game that is fun or anything. But big part of why their games sell is because they look good... and because their fans are crazy.
With that said, I expect good things from Final Fantasy Type-0. Versus XIII? Eh, not really. But I'm still going to play it just for curiosity.