I'll try to remember this thread and upload a few pictures later tonight.
"Fire Emblem" should be a yellow background with red clouds on the top and bottom. In the middle is the words "Fire Emblem" with an axe and sword behind it in an X formation.
With the language option it sounds like it's a European version.
Alternatively, the save battery might be dead. You'd have to open and replace it.
...or they're bootlegs, d'oh!
There is no such thing as a console war. This is the first step to game design.