Tyrannosaurus Rex
With the earlier Tomb Raider games, there was a vogue for introducing various (supposedly) extinct reptiles at least once in each game. However, with the advent of The Last Revelation this practice died out. Tyrannosaurus Rex was the most popular of the dinosaurs, appearing in four games: Tomb Raider (and so of course in its remake, Tomb Raider Anniversary), Tomb Raider II as well as its add-on, The Golden Mask, and Tomb Raider III. Its objective in Tomb Raider was, until it met Lara's guns, to guard Qualopec's piece of the Atlantean Scion once Qualopec had passed away. It is unknown how the T-Rex came into existence in the other Tomb Raider games it is featured in. Lara must at some point have retrieved the body of one of the dinosaurs that she killed, as a Tyrannosaurus head is mounted in the Trophy Room of Tomb Raider III's Croft Manor. Similarly, there is also a T-Rex head mounted in the trophy room seen only in the Wii version of Tomb Raider Anniversary.
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Tomb Raider
Tyrannosaurus Rex only appeared in the Lost Valley as a boss of a sort. In actuality he could be easily avoided by keeping to the edge of the map and hiding in corners and crevices. Although slow moving, its sheer size was a contributing factor in its memorability as one of the most recognisable Tomb Raider figures ever.
Again, Tyrannosaurus Rex cannot be the actual species of the dinosaur that Lara encounters because that species has never been found in South America. However there are various large carnivorous dinosaurs that could indeed be ideal candidates. Again, the identification as Tyrannosaurus Rex is probably due to the influence of the Jurassic Park film from 1993.
All large carnivorous theropods found in the Tomb Raider games are classed as Tyrannosaurus Rex.
Tomb Raider II
Tomb Raider II gave players not one, but two Tyrannosaurs to deal with in the very first level of that game, The Great Wall. The animals lived in a subterranean cavern that was covered in greenery, which was hidden underneath the site of the wall itself.
However, the dinosaurs from this game are less frequently remembered compared to those from the first and third instalments of the Tomb Raider canon. The area which they inhabit need not be visited by the player at all, a contrast with the other two where you had to actively battle in order to progress in the game - in Tomb Raider II you need only visit this area if you want to collect a secret.
The dinosaurs were contained in one small area with no obvious entrance or exit, and no source of prey animals to feed on, but considering they were in a purely optional area this was probably meant as a nod to the T-rex encounter in the first game rather than a serious part of the story. While you can only battle the first one in open ground, the second can safely be tackled from the area where the secret is located.
On a palaeontological note, there are various carnosaurs which could be possible candidates as these Chinese dinosaurs.
The Golden Mask
Lara encounters two tyrannosaurs in the parking lot of the hotel in the bonus level of this game, Nightmare in Vegas. Apparently, they have escaped from the cage they were held in. While the player is required to enter this area to get an important item, and therefore encounter the tyrannosaurs, it is possible to dodge and escape from them without killing them.
Tomb Raider III
The tyrannosaur that Lara encounters in the South Pacific area suffers from some of the same problems as those in Tomb Raider II, as its habitat is a subterranean cave. However, there is at least a depiction of a source of water for the animal and also a nesting site, where Lara finds one of the keys required to use in the Australian air carrier.
Again, there are very few dinosaurs that would match the tyrannosaur from the Crash Site which leads us to the conclusion that Lara has again discovered a new species. It is also the strongest tyrannosaur in the first three games.
Tomb Raider Anniversary
The tyrannosaur in Anniversary becomes more of a level boss than any incarnation previously. We are given an introductory cutscene, showing the dinosaur chasing the smaller velociraptors and then attacking Lara. It is something of a tutorial for later boss battles in the game. Physically it is much larger than any tyrannosaur previously seen.
In Tomb Raider Level Editor
Various T-Rexes have been converted to the TR4 engine in the SETHA slot. However, thanks to the way the slot is coded, the T-Rex is completely invincible, unless the player uses the shotgun or revolver to kill him, in which case he dies in one shot.
