Played a hands off game as Costa Rica. I am in mid 1942.
Pre-war everything seemed to go well. SCW ended in December 1938 with NatSpa victory. Japan invaded China, and struggled mightily for most of the time. Took until 1938 to get Shanxi annexed by NatChi. No seaborne landings. Then Japan rushed forward to the first major (Yellow?) river line. Then an amphibious landing in Shanghai which was expanded fairly well and eventually linked up with the main invasion. Later an invasion of Hainan which eventually expanded to join the rest (after a few years). China is still alive in 1942, and is in apparent near-stalemate. Japan keeps trying to cut off the Burma Road from the Chinese side (mostly succeeding). They did get Indochina from Vichy, but apparently refused to garrison it, as NatChi took it over as fast as they could push troops into it. They are currently just about stuck with a province somtimes bordering Chongqing, sometimes not.
Germany took its sweet time in invading Poland, taking a week just to get out of starting positions. Eventually finished Poland within a month. Finland was beaten by the Soviets in January (got "what they asked for"). Denmark fell quick and easy. Then troubles started. Germany failed to invade Norway before they DOWed the Benelux countries in April 1940, took Netherlands by end of month, stuck in Belgium, managed to take Reims and go behind the front lines and got capitulations of Belgium and France nearly at the same time. A few seconds after Paris was occupied the second time, Italy joined the Axis. Vichy went off without a hitch. THEN they went back to invading Norway, helped by a suddenly Axis Finland, who took provinces all the way to Narvik. Then war at sea and the Balkans in 1941. This is where it went REALLY awry. Germany DOWed Yugo in March 1941, beat them in a month with a little help from their friends Rom, Hung, and Bulg., Italy was a fail. But then Italy DOWed Greece. Even with Germany's help, Greece lasted until almost October 1941. They eventually died, but Barbarossa was a fail for 1941, and the USSR had time to get itself a couple of "Panic Build" events, along with other Gearing up for War events. When Germany finally invaded in May 1942, they got maybe a province or two into the USSR and then standstill. Most attacks seem to center on the Pripet Marsh region.
Japan was an Epic Fail in the Pacific. They DOWed everybody (US and the Allies) in August 1941. Surprise attack netted them Guam, and a couple of footholds in the Phillipines. That's all they had 2 months later with "Offensive Winds Down" event occurred. They got beaten in battle after battle in the seas around the Phillippines and couldn't land anything significant. Where I am in 1942, Guam, Eniwetok, Wake, Marcus, and Midway are changing hands back and forth. The Japanese have about half of Borneo, most of the Phillippines (keeps losing at Manila, though), has a toehold on New Guinea, and has managed to pressure Siam into the war, and together took back Indochina. No attempts to land in Malaya, Singapore, or the rest of the East Indies. Looks like basically a stalemate until the US overwhelms them.
Italy first advanced a few provinces into Egypt but now has lost most of Libya, all of bribed Haile Selassie-led Ethiopia (as expected), and the Allies DOWed Vichy through event and UK landed in West Africa and is slowly making their way across North Africa to meet the forces in Libya. Looks like a done deal in Africa. Strangely, the US took both Corsica and Sardinia long before the DOW on Vichy (strange because in OTL, the US would not have invaded islands in the Med without securing north Africa first) and doesn't otherwise seem to be participating in Europe, for now.
Hope all this helps.
I must comment that I love CORE and where it's going. KUTW.
A couple of observations if I may (sorry to wall of text you): the US gets too much IC too early and it seems to have greatly hampered the Japanese advance too quickly, even with surprise attack. Likewise, the USSR may get a bit too powerful too early. Also, SOMEthing is wrong with Germany in that it should not take 6 months for it to conquer Greece, delaying Barbarossa until May 1942, and it stalled trying to take the Low Countries, only getting through by managing to catch the French napping at Reims. It took 3-4 months of hard combat to get Vichy from the start of Benelux hostilities, most of it dealing with Belgium. Is Germany too militarily weak, or is it an across-the board issue with all powers too weak on the offense?
I'll continue my game, or load as other countries if anyone wants me to.