My first game as Portugal playing on default settings.
Trying to stay isolated from Europe and focus exclusively on colonization and trade. My first impression is that on normal there is simply no challenge. I'm steamrolling through tech and haven't been threatened by a European nation. Even so, I'm playing through simply to test out the national ideas / tech trees.
Some things to note: Unlike a lot of reviews I've seen here and on other boards, France was completely destroyed and no real threat to anyone. I think at this point they are down to 1 province. Netherlands formed. Spain ate Aragon and a good chunk of France. Poland is much bigger than other games I've seen on other boards. This is circa 1570 I believe.