Tomb Raider (1996 VG)

Tomb Raider Official Box Art Release Date: 1996 Developer: CORE Design Publisher: EIDOS Series: Tomb Raider Platforms: Playstation PC Genre: Action-adventure

Tomb Raider is a 1996 British videogame developed by now-defunct CORE Design and published by EIDOS, released on PC, PlayStation and Sega Saturn. The success of the game launched the Tomb Raider franchise. The game follows British archaeologist and explorer Lara Croft as she travels the world to find a mysterious artifact called the Scion.

The game had an PC Exclusive expansion, Unfinished Business, consisting of two mini-adventures played in order, Shadow of the Cat where Lara returns to Egypt to further explore one of the tombs and Unfinished Business where Lara discovers and clears out another Atlantean Stronghold.

Tomb Raider I-III Remastered, a re-release including Tomb Raider II, Tomb Raider III, and the expansions to all three games, was announced in September 2023 for release on February 14th 2024. This release includes optional enhanced graphics.

Handguns

Browning Hi-Power

A pair of nickel plated Browning Hi-Power pistols serve as Lara's main weapons, with unlimited ammo (even in cutscenes) and, like most of the weapons she uses in the game, an infinite magazine size. Not particularly powerful, they are undoubtedly chambered in the standard 9x19mm rounds, since official advertisements for the game describe a "pair of 9mms as [Lara's] passport". At the time, the Browning Hi-Power was the standard-issue pistol of the British Army, which suggests Lara may have used these pistols for the patriotic touch. Higher detailed models that show the Hi-Power's unique slide design and slide release are seen in art work for the game. Larson appears to be armed with a pistol with some sort of lasersight or scope attached above the slide in the original game in the original game that reuses the Hi-Powers model with new textures and uses the same Hi-Power as Lara in the remaster.

Nickel plated FN Browning Hi-Power - 9x19mm.

The in-game models. Note the distinctive slide design and slide release of the Browning Hi-Power.

Larson's scoped pistol with broken textures in his first fight.

Larson's scoped pistol comes with correct textures in his second boss fight.

Promotional artwork of Lara with one of the pistols, showing its distinctive front end shape.

Promotional artwork close-up of the pistol.

Promotional artwork, lateral view of the pistols.

Lara with one of the pistols holstered in the opening FMV.

Lara aims her pistols at a wolf in a promotional screenshot for the remaster.

Closeup of the remastered pistols.

Remastered Larson with his Hi-Power.

IMI Desert Eagle Mark I

A pair of Desert Eagles called "Magnums" in-game are more powerful than the Browning Hi-Powers but have limited ammo. These are also Pierre's guns of choice, and can be collected from him after Lara defeats him if she has not acquired them yet. In the Natla's Mines level, where Lara's weapons have been taken away from her, the Cowboy working for Natla uses a pair of Magnums against Lara.

IMI Desert Eagle Mark I - .357 Magnum.

The in-game model. Note the 'N' likely standing for Natla in relation to Natla Technologies.

Magnum Research Desert Eagle L5

The remaster replaces the Magnums' model with a Magnum Research Desert Eagle L5, as noted by the shorter, fluted barrel and lightening cuts in the slide which is anachronistic as they were made to conform with the NY SAFE Act of 2013. Notably the "Cowboy" boss who drops the Magnums upon death only actually uses the Magnums in remastered graphics while he uses what appear to be very basic revolvers instead in the original graphics. (Consisting of circular barrels like a revolver but lacking even a cylinder in gameplay but exclusively depicted with six-shooters in artwork.)

Magnum Research Desert Eagle L5 - .357 Magnum

Pierre with the remastered Magnums. Note that, in addition to the "N" on the slide, the pistols now feature a red highlight on the right-hand barrel flute. The fact that only one of each of these features is present in this shot, coupled with the presence of a slide release on the right side of the further gun, shows that the two pistols are mirrors of each other; while this is a common sight in older first-person shooters (where it saves the effort of making a new viewmodel and set of animations), it's a rather odd choice for a third-person game, where (since both guns have to be animated independently anyway) it does nothing except necessitate a completely new model. The muzzle flashes also don't seem to be aware that the L5 has a ported barrel.

The original Cowboy attacks Lara with his revolvers.

The modern remastered Cowboy after trading in his six-shooters for more modern handcannons.

Submachine Guns

Ingram MAC-10

A pair of MAC-10s, incorrectly called "Uzis" in-game, are more powerful and faster firing than the Browning Hi-Powers but like the Desert Eagles, have limited ammo. In Natla's Mines, the skateboarder attacks Lara with them, where he yells "You firin' at me? You firin' at me? Ain't nobody else here, so you must be firin' at me!" which is a nod to Taxi Driver. Another movie reference relating to these guns is the first place where they can be obtained in the game, where Lara has to take a leap of faith to grab onto an invisible platform with the guns on them, an allusion to the invisible bridge scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Ingram MAC-10 - 9x19mm.

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The in-game model.

Lara posing with the MAC-10 in front of her manor in the game's artwork.

Lara firing the MAC-10s in the game's artwork.

Lara with her holstered MAC-10's in the Atlantean Stronghold level from the Unfinished Business expansion, unlike future games, the full MAC-10's are visible in Lara's holster rather than the grips vanishing.

Remastered Lara with her remastered MAC-10 submachine guns.

"Skaterboard Kid" (Given the name Jerome Johnson in Anniversary) with his less detailed submachine guns.

Remastered Kid with his now full detail MAC-10 submachine guns.

Shotguns

Mossberg 500 Cruiser

While the original game's "Shotgun" is rather generic (not being obviously based on anything in particular, barring its re-use of the MAC-10's receiver textures), the remaster's iteration is a Mossberg 500 AT Cruiser Compact with a wooden forend and a large muzzle brake. In both games, it is a pistol-gripped pump-action shotgun that can't be dual wielded. The last of Natla's henchmen, Kold, is armed with a shotgun in Natla's Mines.

Mossberg 500AT Shotgun with pistol grip and custom choke similar to one used in the film Raw Deal - 12 gauge

The in-game model. Note the rather baffling MAC-10 receiver.

Ms Croft with the shotgun and pistols in-game.

Ms Croft with the remastered shotgun, thankful that it's now an actual Mossberg instead of some strange Ingram abomination.

"Bald Man" with his shotgun with a stock.

Remastered "Bald Man" with the same shotgun as Lara and resembling his Anniversary "Kin Kade" remake counterpart due to not discarding his coat in gameplay.