User blog:RandomGuy96/Question about Mass Effect's weaponry

So, I've been thinking about the first Mass Effect game and something that I hadn't previously thought about just struck me: how are the rocket launchers supposed to work? They appear to be firing normal rockets, but then the codex entry for the Cain in Mass Effect 2 says that man portable conventional explosives are obsolete. The rockets also appear to be fired out of assault rifles, and a simple look at the projectile will reveal that it's obviously too big to be fired out of a an assault rifle. On top of that, these rockets just sort of disappear after the first game, making it even more confusing. The page for Mercenary Anti-Tank also gives you a small look at the projectile- and something obviously doesn't add up.

So, what do you think? Are they normal rockets, comparable to modern ones, and the developers were simply too lazy to make a rocket launcher model and subsequent reload animation? Does it have some space magic handwave behind it?