I find it more epic in the movie, when you see the Autobots and Decepticons Brawling with wrestling each other than it is with guns or cannons. Example: Optimus in the forest with Megatron, Starscream and Grindor. The Wreckers ripping apart a Decepticon in a ship. Sentinel and Optimus in the final battle. In any case, blasting is not that great. Just say one blast and their dead. not so epic. Just find it more of a fight when it's Piledrive, punch, kick, rip or sword fight.
I like it both. One of my favorite is Soundwave VS BB, it was short, but it was one of the most agile fight sequences in the franchise, it was like two ninjas fighting each other. Sentinel VS Optimus is just Gold, though, the best fight in the franchise alongside the Forest Fight.
I like a mixture of both. If anyone here has seen The Expendables, you know it is effective, semi-realistic, and it looks cool. I also like to see shooting and fighting going on while the robots are in a car chase.
The movies give us probably the most even balance of both of any continuity I can recall. Characters seemlessly alter from hand-to-hand to ranged attacks during combat.