[dahoughtonuk]

All three endings are basically palette swap, and in the end it is a fractured tale, told by a civilisation in the dark ages?

So it's one ending. Hell if these had been a part of a true set of endings no-one would complain.

My hopes were

Hope for the future - Earth and civilisation is saved,and the reapers have retreated for now. Shepard has moved from annoyance to massive problem. But Reapers are beatable, and believed in in
Sacrifice - Civilization saved, but at least humanity fallen and Shepard dead. Reapers also retreated.
Shot in the Dark- Loss but more knowledge added to the beacons
Cycle Unbroken The Reapers win.

These are all better than-

complete destruction of civilisation, if the ending isn't in truth the last one above.

So basically letting the reapers win is a better ending than the canon one.