Counter-Strike creator Minh 'Gooseman' Le's new multiplayer FPS, the free-to-play Tactical Intervention, may have missed its planned spring 2012 launch but hey, at least it'll make spring 2013! Publisher OGPlanet today announced it'll launch in North America on March 28, preceded by an open beta from March 14.

Tactical Intervention isn't your grandfather's counter-terrorism FPS, oh no (I've always wanted to say that). It bristles with shiny features like attack dogs, rappelling down buildings and through windows, human shields, and a level where you zip around in cars shooting at each other.

Ah, but free-to-play means microtransactions, and not just for cosmetic items--and not for keeps, either. Players can rent weapons, armour and whatnot for a set time by spending earned experience or coughing up real cash money. While publisher OGPlanet is in charge of that side of Tactical Intervention, Minh Le says he's trying to keep it reasonable.

"We don't want people to grind too much. We don't want people spending twenty-hours a week, that's a part-time job," Le recently told Joystiq. "Myself, I want it to balance it so people don't have to spend an obscene amount of time to enjoy the majority of the game."

Tactical Intervention will enter open beta testing on March 14 before the March 28 launch. If you fancy giving it a go sooner, Joystiq is giving out keys for a closed test from March 4-8.