Other festivities include a 20% discount on "nearly everything" in the micro-transaction C-Store and an in-game event promising "special prizes and unique encounters."

However, it's been a bit of a bumpy year for Champions Online. While the MMORPG passed the one million characters mark--note that this is not accounts--in October 2009, its oft-delayed Xbox 360 edition was cancelled. It also suffered the blow of design director and executive producer Bill Roper leaving Cryptic last month.

This week-long free trial is the latest attempt to drum up interest in the MMORPG, with previous efforts including a limited demo and several free weekends.